This includes a 124 per cent jump in sales of the Honda Civic, 127 per cent for the Honda Accord, 132 per cent for the MR-V, 161 per cent for the CR-V, 115 per cent for the Honda City, 186 per cent for the Odyssey and 170 per cent for the Honda Jazz, the company said.

"2006 was an outstanding year for Honda in the UAE. Demand for Honda vehicles showed an upward curve due to the impressive range of excellent value-for-money products available, making Honda a highly popular choice among UAE motorists," said Guy Edmunds, Honda's sales and marketing manager at Trading Enterprises.

HTLounge auto Review - 2007 Honda Fit Sport

It used to be that if you were looking for an entry-level vehicle from Honda, the choice was clear. You had to get the Civic. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Because the next step up would have you looking at the Accord. The Civic once came in all sorts of flavors to fit your needs: the coupe for the sporty types, the sedan for the small family, the wagon for the utilitarian, and the compact hatchback for the economically-minded. Around these parts, the Civic hatchback died out with the EK chassis in 2000, which was terribly unfortunate. It is only now, in the 2007 model year, that they have offered us a vehicle similar to the old Civic hatchback. Welcome the new Honda Fit.

I use the term "new" fairly loosely, as the Honda Fit has been available in Japan for a few years now, as well as in Europe where it is badged as the Honda Jazz (they were originally going to go with Fitta, but it turns out that "fitta" can be construed as a euphemism for female genitalia in Italy).

2 BREAKS COVER

- The 2 (called Demio in Japan) is a B-segment (sub-compact) hatchback that debuts in Geneva next month. It will share many engines and many internal giblets with the Ford Fiesta that breaks cover in all-new form later this year.

- There should be a variety of four-cylinder engines displacing under 1.6 litres. Diesel version would be the 1.4-litre unit co-developed with PSA Group, meaning that there will now be five brands using it: Ford, Mazda, Peugeot, Citroen and Mini.

- The 2 is positioned as a stylish hatch to match the Toyota Yaris, instead of a practical alternative to the Honda Jazz which, however, is still a rival to the 2.

- There could be more body variations of the 2 possibly three-door hatch, five-seat MPV and high-body (SUV style with 2WD).

North County FYI

Hot love, cool jazz: The 10th annual jazz benefit concert, sponsored by the Valley Center/Pauma Music Boosters, is at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Maxine Theater, 31322 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center. Tickets: $15.

Bird walk: Hikers will look for ring-necked ducks, egrets and ruby-crowned kinglets on a walk led by naturalist Tom Lyon. The walk begins at 8 a.m. Tuesday at Daley Ranch in Escondido. Meet at the entrance on La Honda Drive. Free. (760) 839-4691.

Art exhibit: The paintings of Los Angeles-based artist Thomas Kidd will be on display starting Tuesday and continuing through March 1 at MiraCosta College's Kruglak Gallery, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. There will be a reception at 11 a.m. Feb. 12. (760) 757-5368.

Music and poetry: Ken Waldman will combine poems, stories and fiddle tunes at noon Tuesday in Art 111 at Cal State San Marcos, 333 S.

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Honda Jazz Specifications
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Engine: Water-cooled, transverse four cylinder petrol displacing 1496cc, fed by multi-point fuel injection

with four valves per cylinder and single overhead camshaft.
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Maximum power/torque: 81kW at 5800rpm / 143Nm at 4800rpm.
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Transmission: Five-speed manual gearbox driving the front wheels.
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Suspension: MacPherson struts, lower wishbones and anti-roll bar in front, torsion beam axle, trailing arms

and anti-roll bar at rear.
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Brakes: Anti-lock with ventilated discs front and drums at rear.
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Wheels/tyres: Alloy 15" rims with 185/55 tyres.
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Dimensions/mass: Length 3830mm, width 1680mm, height 1530mm. Mass 1022kg.
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Capacities: Four passengers, 42 litres fuel, 353 litres boot.
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Performance: 0-100km/h – 11.1secs. Top speed 175km/h.
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Standard items: Electric windows and mirrors, power steering, air conditioning, radio/CD audio system,

remote central locking.
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Safety: Driver and front passenger crash bags.
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Warranty: Three years or 100 000km, whichever comes first and one year roadside assistance.
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Service intervals: 15 000km.