Honda is committed to its mainstay cars in the U.S. but can no longer make an economic case for the Fit subcompact, Civic coupe and Accord sedan with a six-speed manual gearbox, so they will be dropped after the 2020 model year. The HR-V subcompact crossover becomes Honda's entry-level vehicle along with lower trims of the Civic. The Civic hatchback has grown in popularity at the expense of the Fit and the Civic coupe, and production of the hatch will move to the U.S. from the U.K. next year. "We are discontinuing one car, but for us the real story is how committed we are to our core car products," said Gary Robinson, assistant vice president of product planning for Honda. "We're going to be very much focused on the Civic and the Accord." Robinson said important changes are coming for the Civic, which helped establish the Honda brand in the U.S. starting in 1973, and the Accord sedan, a perennial top seller since the 1980s. He did not offer details. The Civic will be redesigned for the 2022 model year, and the Accord is due for a freshening for 2021. The HR-V, introduced for 2016, is near the end of its life cycle. The Fit debuted in 2006, with the third-generation model going on sale in 2015. The subcompact hatchback joins a growing list of cars axed in recent years. Toyota is dropping the Yaris subcompact after the 2020 model year, and Chevrolet is ending production of the Sonic this year.
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