Small cars aren’t doing all that well these days in the U.S., as SUVs continue to dominate all aspects of sales. Ford pulled the plug on the Fiesta. Chevrolet is going to discontinue the Sonic soon, and the Toyota Yaris is getting the axe after the 2020 model year. You can add a few more vehicles to the growing pile, because Automotive News reports that the subcompact Honda Fit and compact Civic coupe will not be around for the 2021 model year. There’s also bad news for enthusiasts, as Honda is dropping the six-speed manual transmission for the Accord sedan.
This was expected, so we're not really surprised by the decision. The Fit is one of the best options in the subcompact class, being a zippy, spacious, and efficient hatchback, but automakers as a whole have moved away from subcompact vehicles. Compared to Honda’s subcompact crossover, the HR-V, the Fit isn’t all that popular either. In 2019, Honda sold 35,414 units of the Fit and 99,104 units of the HR-V. So, while we’re sad to hear about the Fit’s death, we can’t say that this is coming out of the blue.
The death of the Civic coupe caught us a little off guard. Honda's offered a two-door version of the compact vehicle for decades and we didn't think it would stop anytime soon. But, the Civic hatchback has grown in popularity at the expense of the two-door coupe. Since 2016, Civic coupe sales have gone from accounting for 16% to 6%, while hatchback sales have gone up to account for 24% of all Civic sales. The Civic was one of the last compact coupes on the market, as others have shifted toward only selling sedan and hatchback body styles of their respective options. Honda’s decision to kill the Civic coupe is an indication that it plans to do the same.
The all-new 11th-gen Civic is set to arrive for the 2022 model year and it will do so without a coupe body style. The current Civic Si will take a break for the 2021 model year before arriving as an all-new vehicle for 2022. Honda hasn’t confirmed whether the high-performance Civic Type R will be returning for 2022 yet.
Honda’s decision to kill the Fit is solely for the U.S. market. The vehicle received upgrades for the new fourth-gen model last October when it made its debut at the 2019 Tokyo Auto Show. For different markets, the Fit received a new hybrid powertrain, an updated look, a revised suspension setup, and a more modern interior design. New seats were added that improve comfort and now come with a reclining feature in the back, while a new windscreen shape provides drivers with improved visibility. Honda also updated the Fit’s safety features, adding a new front camera and sonar system to improve the hatchback’s automatic emergency braking system. These were major changes for the all-new model that could’ve helped it become more popular in America.
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