New Fit hybrid unveiled by Honda

Japanese marque Honda has announced that its all new Fit Hybrid can achieve a fuel economy of 36.4 km/L, which is the highest among all hybrid models in Japan. The test was conducted by Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The upcoming hybrid hatchback will also be the first model to be equipped with the Sport Hybrid Intelligent Dual Clutch Drive (i-DCD), Honda's lightweight and compact one-motor hybrid system suited for small-sized vehicles.

The Sport Hybrid i-DCD is one of the Earth Dreams Technology, Honda's new generation powertrain technologies which realises both the fun of driving and excellence in fuel economy at the highest level.

Adopting a newly developed inline four-cylinder 1.5-litre Atkinson cycle engine, the Sport Hybrid i-DCD consists of a seven-speed Dual Clutch Transmission system with a built-in high-output motor, and IPU (intelligent power unit) equipped with a built-in lithium-ion battery.

Moreover, adopting an electric servo brake system that increases electrical regenerative efficiency and a fully-electric compressor that reduces engine load allows the Sport Hybrid i-DCD to improve the vehicle's fuel economy by more than 35 percent compared to a current hybrid system.

The Sport Hybrid i-DCD automatically changes to three driving modes by engaging and disengaging the engine and motor depending on driving situations. The three driving modes are - EV Drive Mode, for motor only driving, the Hybrid Drive Mode for both engine and motor driving and the Engine Drive Mode for pure engine driving.

No performance figures were released as yet, but watch this space for more info.