It wasn't many years ago that the Mini was considered a car too small to ever enjoy successful sales 
in the US, but the new-generation BMW-engineered and -built Mini has caught-on with Americans of all ages (and sizes). If the Mini was too small for some US car-buyers, the company's new Clubman "station wagon" (or an "estate," as they're known in the UK) might fit the bill. Speaking of fitting the bill, Honda's Fit, as Toyota's Yaris and Nissan's Versa, and the Mercedes-Swatch Smart cars, is every bit as interesting, fun-to-drive and attractive as the original Mini, first sold in the UK in 1959. Now, the Toyota iQ concept from the most-recent Frankfurt and Tokyo Motor Shows is slated to start production and be on-sale in Asia and Europe early in 2009; no US sales announcement as yet. Traditionally one of Japan's most-popular sellers, Honda's latest version of their Fit, the 2009 car, debuted at the NYIAS and goes on-sale in the US this autumn. Here's how Honda describes their newest Fit model, and in their own words, too, so pardon the to-be-expected "hype-ese":
The all-new 2009 Honda Fit, set to go on sale in the U.S. this fall, is making its U.S. debut at the New York International Auto Show, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. The Fit promises to further its leadership in the subcompact segment with top-of-class feature content, including an available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™; improved interior functionality, including one-motion dive-down rear seats; enhanced sporty demeanor through improved suspension, steering and body rigidity; and high levels of standard safety equipment, including Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure.
Dimensionally compact on the outside, the interior provides surprisingly large passenger and class-
leading cargo space to maximize comfort and utility. At the foundation is an improved rear Magic Seat®, now featuring one-motion dive-down functionality, which allows the rear seat to fold flat with the front seats in the rearmost slide position and without removing the rear head restraints. The seats offer multiple seating and cargo-carrying configurations (tall object mode, long object mode and utility mode) in addition to the standard five-passenger mode. Additionally, a new hidden storage bin under the driver's side rear seat provides a place to store small items.
Adding further refinement, Fit Sport offers an available factory-installed Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™ with Voice Recognition, featuring a 6.5-inch screen. All Fit Sport models feature a USB audio interface compatible with current generation iPods and many USB storage devices.
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