Honda discontinuing subcompact Fit, Civic coupe

(July 18, 2020) Honda says it can no longer make an economic case for the Fit subcompact, Civic coupe and six-speed manual version of the Accord sedan, all of which are being discontinued after the 2020 model year. The HR-V subcompact crossover will become Honda's entry-level vehicle along with lower trims of the Civic.

The Civic hatchback has grown in popularity at the expense of the Fit and the Civic coupe, and production of the hatch will move to the U.S. from the U.K. next year.

"We are discontinuing one car, but for us the real story is how committed we are to our core car products," said Gary Robinson, assistant vice president of product planning. "We're going to be very much focused on the Civic and the Accord, which effectively created the image of the Honda brand in the U.S."

The Fit first came to the U.S. in 2006, with the third-generation model on sale in 2015. The subcompact hatchback joins a growing list of cars discontinued by automakers in recent years. Toyota is dropping the Yaris subcompact after the 2020 model year. Chevrolet is ending production of the Sonic this year, and Hyundai's Accent is eventually being replaced by the new Venue crossover.

Honda introduced a new-generation Fit last year for the European market, where it's called the Jazz, but did not bring it to the U.S. That turned out to be the writing on the wall for the small car, which was known for its versatile interior, funky exterior styling and relatively fun-to-drive character in the segment.

U.S. sales of the Fit were flat last year at 35,414. In contrast, HR-V demand rose 16 percent to 99,104.

Source: Automotive News