HR-V Delayed, Execs Get Paycut After 5th Honda Fit Recall

Despite a number of objective improvements made to the new for 2014 Honda Fit, the model’s roll-out has been plagued with quality issues. Yesterday, Automotive News reported that Honda- on the heels of a fifth recall for the new Fit less than a year- has cut its executives’ pay by 20% in a bid to get them to take responsibility for the recall-plagued car.

While it’s important to note that this latest recall doesn’t impact the 2014 Honda Fit being sold in the US, it is a widespread recall that has the company reviewing its quality control processes worldwide. That QC review may delay Honda’s product launch schedule, including the intro date of the new for 2015 HR-V compact SUV, which is set to be built alongside the Fit at Honda’s Celaya, Mexico facility.

The Honda Fit recalls are compounded by other, more critical recalls forced by high-profile failures at its airbag supplier, Takata, and, as AN nonsensically puts it, “have bruised its once sterling reputation for quality.”

2015 Honda HR-V Crossover Delayed

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Honda, however, is taking that possibility seriously. Mexican production of the HR-V has been pushed back indefinitely, and Honda “won’t launch (the HR-V) until quality can be assured,” Honda spokeswoman Yuka Abe said. “We are doing very strict check of quality worldwide, and that is why we are taking time to launch models. At each plant worldwide, we will do more detailed checks.”

Honda has appointed longtime employee Koichi Fukuo- who has been overseeing both the Acura brand and Honda’s own development of hydrogen fuel cell powered electric cars- as the company’s newly christened executive in charge of quality reform and vice president of Honda R&D Co., a position which has been vacant since last April. In a prepared statement, Honda said that “(Fukuo) will inject his knowledge in a cross-functional manner and thoroughly evaluate technologies at the timing of each evaluation opportunity.”

So, yeah. Here’s hoping they get it right, because I kinda want one of those manual-transmission, AWD, VTEC HR-Vs, you know?

Source | Images: NHTSA, Bloomberg, via Automotive News.