CTV.ca (Enlarge photo)

VANCOUVER Honda has launched its second generation Fit subcompact car just as soaring fuel prices have driven up sales in a vehicle class once considered fit only as second cars and student wheels.

The 2009 Fit began rolling into dealerships this week, earlier than expected because Honda Canada has gone through its allocation of the old 2008 version, says executive vice-president Jerry Chenkin.

"Basically we ran out of product," he says. "The shift in the marketplace and consumers' taste has been so rapid that basically we could not react quickly enough to the demand."

Pricing for the new Fit, slightly larger, more spacious and with a peppier engine, will start at $14,980 up to $20,480, about $1,000 more than the top-selling Toyota Yaris.

Subcompact cars such as the Fit, the Yaris,... // CTV.ca

CTV.ca (Enlarge photo)

VANCOUVER -- Honda has launched its second generation Fit subcompact car just as soaring fuel prices have driven up sales in a vehicle class once considered fit only as second cars and student wheels.

The 2009 Fit began rolling into dealerships this week, earlier than expected because Honda Canada has gone through its allocation of the old 2008 version, says executive vice-president Jerry Chenkin.

"Basically we ran out of product," he says. "The shift in the marketplace and consumers' taste has been so rapid that basically we could not react quickly enough to the demand."

Pricing for the new Fit, slightly larger, more spacious and with a peppier engine, will start at $14,980 up to $20,480, about $1,000 more than the top-selling Toyota Yaris.

Subcompact cars such as the Fit, the... // CTV.ca