The brand-new 2012 CR-V may be the talk of the day at Honda's Los Angeles Auto Show booth, but the Japanese carmaker also presented the production version of the Fit EV and announced plans to begin leasing the pure electric subcompact from next year.

Honda said that the Fit EV's MSRP is $36,625 with an estimated lease priced at $399 a month. It will initially be offered for lease to customers in select California and Oregon markets next summer, followed by six East Coast markets in early 2013.

Honda had presented a thinly disguised concept of the Fit EV exactly a year ago at the 2010 edition of the LA Show. The production variant of the pure-electric Fit will be closely modeled after last year's study and is expected to keep its lithium-ion battery and coaxial electric motor.

It's recall time for Honda that said on Monday it is calling in three of its models globally in order to repair three unrelated problems. The bulk of the recall campaign concerns the Fit/Jazz subcompact: 960,000 cars built between October 2005 and October 2009 and sold mainly in China and other Asian countries are recalled to fix malfunctioning power window switches. Read more »

While it may not be the car most dream to own, the low $10,990 ($11,750 including destination) entry level price tag of the 2012 Nissan Versa sedan seems to have piqued the interest of U.S. buyers looking for a cheap new ride.

According to data released by Nissan today, in August, the first full month of availability of the new Versa sedan, the subcompact model sold of 8,566 units beating all of its theoretical competitors, including the Chevrolet Aveo, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Hyundai Accent, Mazda 2 and the soon to be replaced, Toyota Yaris.

Honda has laid bare the highlights to its 2012 model year Fit hatchback, and the most important news concern the updated styling of the Fit Sport, some interior tweaks on all models and the addition of new standard and optional features across the range.

Beginning with the 2012 Fit Sport, the exterior updates include a revised front grille and bumper, black headlight bezels and a dark "machined surface" finish for the alloy wheels.

Honda announced today that it will invest $800 million to build a new assembly plant in Mexico. The factory, which is expected to be operational in 2014, will employ around 3,200 workers producing up to 200,000 vehicles per year. Read more »