Sens4Miles

Honda Sells 300,000 Hybrids, Brings CR-Z to Production by 2010



Honda announced earlier this week that it had sold its 300,000th hybrid since 1999, when the original Honda Insight was released.

The original Insight was a small 2-door hatchback that achieved up to 70 miles per gallon on the highway using the first application of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist. The hybrid was released in the U.S. as a 2000 model in November 1999, becoming the first hybrid vehicle to be sold in North America. Despite reaching North American consumers a year before Toyota's first-generation Prius, it never achieved the same commercial success the Prius did. Honda ended production of the first-generation Insight in 2006.

Fast forward 3 years, and Honda has resurrected the nameplate as a more direct competitor to the Prius. Honda swapped the subcompact 2-door hatchback body style for a 4-door hatchback that mimics the Prius, and even the exterior styling strongly emulates the Prius. Honda has priced its new Prius-fighter well below Toyota's hybrid, and Honda says the formula is working: in Japan, the Insight went on sale on February 6 and Honda has already received 5,000 orders.

In the U.S., Honda currently sells a hybrid version of its compact Civic sedan, and until 2008 sold a hybrid version of its best-selling midsize Accord sedan. In addition to the Insight, which will go on sale in the U.S. in March, Honda will add a third hybrid to its lineup, based off the CR-Z lightweight hybrid sports car concept that made its North American debut at the 2008 North American International Auto Show.

In its press release, Honda said it will bring the new CR-Z-based hybrid to production by 2010, "in the effort to achieve full-scale market penetration of hybrid vehicles."

http://rumors.automobilemag.com/6455...010/index.html

Koma

iTrader: (3)

Toyota your move. Where's the FT-HS?

I8ABMR

Toyota is kind of boring. They need to jazz things up a little. The ISF and the Venza are not going to cut it