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21 The 2015 Honda Fit is a small car. A subcompact car. A global car that moves families in Japan and Gen Y members in the U.S. It is a car that's sold in 160 countries. Makoto Konishi, the large project leader (i.e., chief engineer) for the 2015, an all-new model, the third generation, says that they aimed to develop the "Super Cub" of the automobile industry, referring to the small motorcycle that Honda originally introduced in 1958, a bike that gave rise in the U.S. to the advertising slogan "You meet the nicest people on a Honda." But here's an interesting aspect of the Fit. People may want a "small" car in terms of overall dimensions for purposes of maneuverability in urban environments. And they undoubtedly associate "small" with "good fuel efciency." And the Fit delivers on both of those aspects, as in the entry- trim LX model, with its new 1.5-liter direct injected DOHC four with i-VTEC mated to a new continuously variable transmission (CVT) providing an EPA estimate 33/41/36 mpg. And as for size, its length is actually less than the previous model (161.1 in. down to 160 in.). But the wheelbase is increased by 1.2 in. to 99.6 in. The height is the same at 60 in., and the width has been increased by just 0.3 in., to 67 in. The turning radius is 35.1 ft, curb to curb. Yes, it is a small car. By way of comparison, the Honda Civic sedan is 177.3 in. long, has a 105.1 in. wheelbase, is 69 in. wide, and 56.5 in. high. Clearly bigger. On the outside. But people who buy subcompacts don't necessarily want to get Lilliputian interior space. So Konishi and his team went to work at taking the Honda product philosophy "Man Maximum Machine Minimum" to a whole new level. Consider this: the passenger volume for the 2015 Fit is 95.7-ft 3 . The passenger volume for the 2014 Civic sedan— remember: a bigger car—is 94.6-ft 3 . What's more—and it is more—the cargo volume for the Fit with its seats up is 16.6-ft 3 , while the Civic ofers 12.5-ft 3 in its trunk. (Yes, there is something to be said for the architectural diferences between a tall, fve-door hatch and a classic three-box, four-door sedan, but it is to prove the point of the Fit's fundamental capaciousness. And if you put the rear seats down, the so-called "Magic Seats," which fold fat, the amount of space that can be achieved for cargo is 52.7-ft 3 . Hiroaki Hamaya, senior product planner, even folded the front t The 2015 Fit is being built for the U.S. market in a new plant in Celaya, Mexico. The $800-million plant—which went into production in February 2014—will have an annual capacity of 200,000 units when fully operational. Honda is also building a $470-million plant on the site in Celaya to produce continuously variable transmissions; it is expected to go into production in the second half of 2015. p The interior design theme was "Sophisticated Futuristic Cockpit." More to the point might have been "Storage Seemingly Everywhere." Cupholders and storage spaces are in abundance; the center console has a slotted shape beneath the armrest that is capable of storing an iPad. 0614ADP FEATURE Honda Fit.indd 21 5/21/2014 12:51:28 PM