Honda Insight Gets 10,000 Orders since Launch

The new Honda Insight Hybrid has stirred somewhat of a fuss after its official February 6th showroom launch in Japan. In only ten days, some 10,000 orders have been placed for the new model, more than double the monthly sales target set for the Insight, reported just-auto.com.

Prior to the showroom launch, Honda got some 5,000 orders for the hybrid, while in the next following days 1,500 more people expressed their desire to buy an Insight and ordered the car. The high-demand for the car is based both on the performance and the price tag of the model.

"Honda hybrids have always offered great value, high fuel efficiency and a healthy dose of fun near the middle price range in the Honda lineup," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda.

The Insight is powered by a 1.3-liter SOHC aluminum-alloy i-VTEC engine in conjunction to an electric system. The electric engine has a maximum output of 10 kW (13 horsepower) and is based on energy-recovering technologies. The car uses a fuel consumption reduction technology designated by Honda as "Ecological Drive Assist System".

This allows the car to get an average city/highway mileage of 41 mpg (5.7l/100 km). The base model of the Insight wears a price tag of JPY1,890,000 ($20,600). That means it's some $5,000 cheaper than its rival, the Toyota Prius. Honda estimates worldwide Insight sales to reach 200,000 units a year, half of that after the April launch in the US.

Even if the new Insight had the best start it could have imagined, considering the current state of Japan's economy, it remains to be seen if the trend will continue in the following months. .