Those biting their nails in anticipation of the 2009 Honda Fit won't have to wait long - the redesigned hatchbacks will arrive in U.S. showrooms on August 26.

Although that's less than a week away, it's nearly a month before Honda planned to launch the car.  The 2009 Fit was once originally scheduled to arrive in the U.S. on October 1.

Not surprisingly, the new launch timing is an attempt to satisfy demand for the car.  In the first half of 2008, Honda sold 52,053 Fits in the U.S. - a 72.9 percent increase over 2007 sales.

In the U.S. alone, Honda expects to sell 85,000 examples of the 2009 model on an annual basis.  Should demand continue to rise, Honda has capacity to increase production by an extra 5000 cars before shifting production facilities.

Source: Automotive News