Honda's Insight hybrid tops Japan's April car sales

11 May 2009

Honda's Insight has scored over Toyota in Japan's ongoing hybrid car battle. The Insight, billed as the cheapest gas-electric car on the market, ranked as the top-selling vehicle in Japan for April - the first time a hybrid has clinched the top spot.

Honda Motor Co has pitched the Insight as an affordable hybrid, though such vehicles carry a bigger price tag than gasoline engine cars. The Insight starts at 1.89 million yen ($19,000) in Japan, where it went on sale in February, and $19,800 in the US, where it is starting to arrive in showrooms.

Honda sold 10,481 Insight cars in April in Japan, according to data released today by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

That marked the first time a hybrid model was Japan's monthly best-seller, excluding minicars limited to an engine size of up to 660 cc, Honda said. "The all-new Insight has been very well received by a wide range of customers due to its excellent environmental performance, easy-to-use packaging, light and comfortable driving and affordable pricing," the Tokyo-based car maker said.

But Honda will face tough competition from a revamped version of the world's top-selling hybrid, the Prius, from rival Toyota Motor Corp. The revamped Prius is set to be introduced next week and Toyota executives have made clear they are aware of the challenge from the Insight.

Toyota is expected to be aggressive with its pricing, although the Prius is a bigger car than the Insight and would be expected to carry a higher price tag.