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There's a Dow Jones International wire service article circulating today that quotes an unidentified spokesman for Honda Motor Co. in Japan as saying that the company intends to launch a gas-electric hybrid version of its popular Fit subcompact sometime in the upcoming 2010-2011 fiscal year.


If true, it is pretty dramatic illustration of how effective government fuel economy mandates can be in pushing carmakers to speed up introduction of fuel-efficient models. It was just last September, after all, that  American Honda spokesman Sage Marie told us it would be years until introduction of a hybrid model of the Fit.  


That, however, was before President Obama accelerated U.S. fuel efficiency standards to require automakkers' passenger car fleets to average 39 miles per gallon on the CAFE rating scale (27 mpg on the EPA rating scale) by 2015.



We can't vouch for the accuracy of the Dow Jones report because it also says Honda will follow the Fit hybrid in 2012 with a hybrid sports car based on its CR-Z concept (left), and that's not the case.


Honda already has set next year -2010 - for introduction of the CR-Z hybrid and has said that the Fit hybrid will follow it, not come before, says American Honda spokesman Chis Martin.


Still, that time-line doesn't make the wire service report wrong on the Fit: Introduction of a Fit hybrid in the first quarter of 2011 would still put it in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
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Tags: Honda, Hybrid, Honda Fit Hybrid

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Honda Fit Hybrid: Sooner? Or Later? was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.