Honda Hybrid Sales Exceed 300,000

Still under the strong pressure of the economic recession, companies and slowly migrating to the hybrid sector, an unexplored side of the market which is often regarded as the only chance to survive for numerous automakers. Honda for instance, which is actually present in the hybrid market since 1999, sold no less than 300,000 units as of the end of January 2009, according to a press release issued by the company.

The first mass-produced Honda Hybrid model came out in 1999 as the first-generation Insight, being followed by the 4-door Civic IMA and Civic Hybrid. According to the Japanese automaker, Honda is now selling its hybrids in nearly 40 countries across the globe, including Japan, North America and Europe.

To be more specific, North America was the largest market for both the Insight and the Civic IMA/Hybrid models, with sales totaling 14,288 and 191,493 units respectively. Europeans were less attracted by these low-fuel-consumption models, with Honda delivering 392 Insights and 34,757 Civic Hybrids since March 2000 and May 2003 respectively.

On the other hand, the Civic Hybrid was one of the company's best-sellers on the domestic market as Japanese bought nearly 23,000 units since December 2001.

In addition to the two aforementioned models, Honda will also introduce the new Insight hybrid model this year, with sales expected to being in Europe and North America in March and April, respectively. The Insight is already available in authorized dealerships in Japan since early February. Honda says the company has annual sales targets of approximately 60,000 units in Japan, more than 30,000 units in Europe and approximately 100,000 units in North America.