Honda Launches New Fit Shuttle Small MPV in Japan [ 46 Photos]

After briefly postponing the presentation of its all-new Fit Shuttle due to a variety of problems that arose from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Honda on Thursday officially launched its mini MPV.

While keeping the five-seat layout of the regular Fit (called Jazz in Europe), the Shuttle is longer and taller, with the extra space benefiting both the rear passengers and the cargo area.

The more practical version of the Fit is offered in two flavors, the base model powered by a conventional 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder gasoline engine and a hybrid variant combining a 1.3-liter gasoline unit to a 10 KW electric motor.

The hybrid model is available only with front-wheel drive and a CVT, while the regular Fit Shuttle can be ordered either with front-wheel drive and a CVT or with all-wheel drive and 5-speed automatic transmission.

Pricing of the Japan-only Fit Shuttle starts at ¥1,610,000 (~US$20,030), with the hybrid model commanding ¥1,810,000 (~US$22,500).

Hat tip to Leopaul D.!

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Honda Patents New 2012 Civic Sedan and Coupe Designs in Europe

A peek through the European patent office files revealed images of Honda’s freshly launched in North America, 2012 Civic in both four-door sedan and two-door coupe guise. Given that the European market will get its own, bespoke version of the Civic, chances are that Honda simply wanted to cover its back like most of the competition just in case another automaker (we are looking towards you China) got any crazy ideas.

However, it is possible that Honda will offer the four-door saloon model in certain European countries to compete against the Volkswagen Jetta. With the exception of one version of the Civic sedan seen in this set of images and which features slightly modified taillights with additional strips that extend towards the license plate holder, there are no other differences compared to the North American Civic.

The European version of Honda’s compact model will make its world premiere at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September. It will be available in five-door and three-door body styles, while the Japanese automaker has also confirmed the development of a smaller displacement turbo diesel engine that will fit right under the current 2.2-liter i-DTEC unit.

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