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And the product that Honda is bringing to the market is the 2016 HR-V. Conrad says they anticipate sales of the vehicle to be 70,000 units per year with half of the customers coming to Honda for the frst time. Naohisa Morishita, chief engineer and development leader for the vehicle, who is based at the Honda R&D; Center in Tochigi, Japan, calls the HR-V a "new generation crossover." And it is for a generation of people—Gen Y—who are a bit more strapped for cash than, say, Gen X, to say nothing of the Boomers. (Turns out that Honda does exceptionally well with the under 35-year-old demographic, where the HR-V is targeted: according to Honda analysis of data from IHS Automotive, either the Civic or Accord was the #1 vehicle in retail sales since 2004. Accord was #1 from 2004 to 2006 and in 2014. Civic ruled from 2007 to 2013. And now this younger cohort has something more focused on them.) This generation is evidently one that is interested in something smaller. The HR-V is based on Honda's Global Compact Series platform. Like the Honda Fit, it has a center-mounted fuel tank. Like the Fit, it has the "Magic Seat" in the second row, which allows splitting and folding for cargo accommodating. And like the Fit, it is manufactured at the Honda plant in Celaya, Mexico. While there are some elements shared vis-à-vis the platform, the HR-V is not a Fit with a diferent top hat. Consider the diferences in dimensions: 2016 HR-V 2015 Fit Wheelbase: 102.8 in. 99.6 in. Length: 169.1 in. 160 in. Height: 63.2 in. 60 in. Width: 69.8 in. 67 in. Close, but no cigar. Tsuya. That is a term that Morishita uses to describe what the development team used for the HR-V during the development of the HR-V. It has a lot to do with something that is, he says, seductive. Captivating. Alluring. While it is hard to imagine how something that's not only made out of sheet metal but that's a crossover could be seductive, captivating, alluring (the new NSX, yes, but an HR-V?), Morishita explains that while they were looking for something that has the utility of a minivan and the toughness and safety that are characteristic of an SUV, they worked to create something that would have more appeal both outside—with the sharp A-pillar that fows back to the C-pillar that, in turn, boomerangs back along the beltline—and inside, where the front seat passengers have a high H-point for improved ingress and egress on the one hand yet because of a tall and wide center console a feeling of being in something far sportier. Back to that Fit comparison for a moment. The HR-V is powered by a 1.8-liter, SOHC inline four-cylinder q The HR-V is based on Honda's Global Compact Series platform. It is being manufactured at the Honda plant in Celaya, Mexico, where the Fit is also built. q The HR-V ofers as much as 100.1-ft 3 of passenger volume and 58.8-ft 3 of cargo volume. 29 29