Temple of VTEC Rumors and News - Honda Latitude in US: What ever happened to those rumors?

Way back in 2002, rumors surfaced about a possible US introduction of Honda's Stream into the US. It was supposedly going to be called the Latitude and was intended to fight the likes of the Vibe/Matrix twins and Mazda's Protege5 (since replaced with the charming 3). Honda even filed a trademark application for the name Latitude with the USPTO, so the rumor seemed to have some credibility. The rumor initially indicated that the Latitude would make its way here by around 2003 or 2004, but obviously those dates have passed and there's still no Latitude. So is Honda still thinking about bringing the car here? If so, it would make sense that they'd hold off until the next generation Stream was ready. And guess what? The next generation Stream is due to go on sale in Japan in the June/July timeframe. Also, while the Honda trademark application originated quite a while ago, Honda has kept the application alive by continuing to file extension requests; the 4th extension was granted in September of 2005. Does that mean the car is headed our way? Not necessarily, but it indicates that Honda is holding their options open. If it is headed our way, I would be surprised if it appeared here any sooner than next year.

With no relief in sight for the gas price situation, it probably wouldn't hurt Honda to have another frugal people mover in the lineup with loads of versatility. The Fit offers superb utility and passenger volume but some shoppers may find its diminutive proportions to be a bit too small. In addition to monitoring the competitive set (which includes Mazda's 5 and Kia's upcoming Rondo), I imagine Honda will be closely watching the sales performance of the Fit as well as all of the psychographic data they can gather. It could be argued that the Honda lineup has a bit of a hole between the Fit and the CR-V and a Stream-based Latitude would plug that hole quite nicely. Another possible option for Honda would be to bring over the Airwave. The Airwave is a 5-passenger wagon that was introduced to the Japanese market last year. It's a sharp looking 5-door with upscale appointments and the Fit's 1.5L 4-cylinder engine. It leverages many of the Fit's innovations and is indeed largely based upon the Fit. Our guess is that of these two wagons, the Stream probably has a better chance of crossing the Pacific.

2004 Honda Stream Absolute

2004 Honda Stream Absolute

2006 Honda Airwave

2006 Honda Airwave

2006 Honda Airwave