Luxury hybrids - Can they Fit all sizes?

A close friend of mine loves to drive his in-law’s Honda Fit. No, not because of the performance – his Porsche Boxster S is more than a bit quicker and nimble. What he likes about the Fit is its amazing cargo room. He brags about putting his road bike, sans front wheel, upright in the Fit’s cargo area with the seats folded flat. He cites the storage capacity and good mileage as big pluses.

But he’s an upmarket type of guy, willing to spend a little extra for niceties. He claims that he’d be the first on the list if Acura had a version of the Fit, a concept similar to how the Canadian Acura CSX sedan relates to the Honda Civic. A spruced-up interior, high-tech features, Civic Si motor, and a six-speed manual or automatic would do the trick, he says. But the pricing couldn’t work. This Acura Fit would be too expensive for the fuel-sipping crowd, and probably still to small or crude for the traditional upmarket Acura buyers. (For discussion, the Acura CSX base price translates to $25,462.)

But what about a hybrid version for Acura?

Automotive News reported on May 27 that, according to the Nikkei business daily, Honda is going to bring out a gasoline-electric hybrid Fit by fall 2010. This would be one of the three hybrid vehicles Honda plans to launch by 2012. The report didn’t indicate which markets will receive the hybrid Fit.

But if you put hybrid batteries into a Fit, would it still have the cargo utility that my buddy loves? After all, you still need the under-the-front-seat gas tank. There are always trade offs...

As Toyota is introducing small and efficient hybrids to the luxury market this year with the Lexus HS 250, Honda could enter the market with a Fit-based Acura hybrid. The premium paid by luxury buyers might offset the hybrid costs, and the weight that comes with making the Fit more luxurious could be countered by the hybrid powerplant. Fuel economy wouldn’t necessarily plummet with the addition of leather seats, more sound deadening, and other Acura-like touches. If it doesn’t happen with the Fit, rest assured, other models will take this approach as all automakers struggle to meet the more stringent 2016 fuel economy standards.

Perhaps my buddy should start finding some room in the driveway.

—Jon Linkov