Honda prices its all-electric Fit, but pushes leases

According to KHABARKHODRO, With the limited market for fully electric vehicles starting to look more limited, it will be interesting to see how the Honda Fit EV, introduced this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, will fare.

At $399 a month, the Fit will be affordable. The purchase price is $36,625 before desination charges are added.

Because of that marketing problem, Honda will focus on leasing its vehicles -- at least initially.

The 2013 Fit EV comes billed as being capable of an impressive 123 city-mile per charge range, or 76 mile range combined adjusted city/highway. But it's going to bump up against plug-in electrics from Toyota, with a Prius, and Ford, with a plug-in Focus. And that's not even counting in upstarts like Coda.

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By Reed Saxon, AP

As a result, Honda is going to merely dip its toe into the market. Then its ankle, then a whole leg and maybe the whole body. Honda will begin leasing the Fit EV to customers in select California and Oregon markets next summer. Then it will expand to six East Coast markets in early 2013. But bear in mind, it's only going to make about 1,100 over the next three years. You can lease a collector's item.

"The Fit EV is the next critical step in Honda's portfolio approach to alternative fueled vehicles," said John Mendel, executive vice president of sales. "There is no other automaker on the planet whose spirit is more deeply invested in the effort to realize a cleaner, more energy-efficient and ultimately more sustainable transportation future than