2009 Honda Fit Going On Sale Today, A Month Earlier Than Expected

Automotive News reports that the 2009 Honda Fit is scheduled to start arriving in showrooms as you read this, more than a month earlier than the planned October 1 arrival. Why the rush? Fit sales are up more than 70% this year in light of high gas prices and positive press; Honda has done everything possible to increase production, but dealers were still going to be sold out of Fits for most of September. Rather than lose sales, Honda sped up its product plans, getting the new Fit to market seven weeks ahead of schedule. This being Honda, we don't expect there to be "some assembly required," but even the best automaker can get in trouble when they're pushing too hard.
Honda is planning to ship roughly 90,000 2009 Fits to the US from its Suzuka, Japan plant, the only factory currently producing US-market Fits. If current market trends hold, however —and the new Fit is well-received — we think Honda's allocations are on the low side. The company sold over 12,000 new Fits in the US in July alone, so it doesn't take a mathematician to see that if you want a Fit, you might want to get to your dealer earlier rather than later. [Automotive News; Sub. Req.]