Honda hybrids: (from left) Fit, Fit Shuttle, Freed, Freed Spike, Insight Exclusive and CR-Z.
Honda Motor Company now has cumulative worldwide sales of hybrids at 800,000 vehicles delivered as of the end of December 2011. The hybrid milestone was reached 12 years and 2 months after the start of sales of the first generation Honda Insight in Japan back in November 1999. That Insight had fuel economy of 35km/liter– what was then the world’s highest fuel economy among all gasoline-powered vehicles.
Almost concurrently, Toyota Motor Corporation said it had delivered 400,000 hybrids in Europe, reaching that total with the sale of an Auris Hybrid. The original hybrid Toyota in Europe was the first generation Prius back in 2000. Since then two new Prius generations have gone on sale, and in 2010 the Auris Hybrid, produced at Burnaston, UK, joined Toyota’s European hybrid line-up.
In the U.S. alone Toyota has 1,000,000 Prius owners, where the current generation Prius is rated at 50 mpg. Moreover, Toyota has built a substantial environmental reputation as the global leader in hybrid vehicles with sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrids now well over 3,000,000 vehicles. TMC currently sells 16 hybrid models in 80 countries and regions around the world, including three commercial vehicle models in Japan. TMC plans to introduce 10 new-model hybrid vehicles by the end of 2012, including six newly launched vehicles and four that have been redesigned. All other automakers are listed are mere footnotes in hybrid sales tables.
In spite of clear fuel economy benefits and high fuel prices, hybrids remain a tiny portion of the U.S. auto market – a little over 2% of sales – because mainstream buyers refuse to pay a premium amounting to several thousand dollars over a comparable size gasoline-fueled car. Plug in hybrids with expensive lithium ion battery packs will likely compound the problem. The Prius plug-in coming this year adds another $4,000 to the already premium cost of the standard Prius hybrid.
At the Tokyo Motor Show Honda debuted a new AC-X plug in hybrid. The Number Three Japanese automaker – and perennial second place hybrid sales leader behind the clear leader Toyota – says this next-generation plug-in hybrid vehicle offers a more comfort during all driving situations, from urban to long-distance driving, but offered no specifications or pricing.
See also:
- 50 MPG Predicted for Toyota Prius c Hybrid
- Honda to Show AC-X Plug in Hybrid at Tokyo Motor Show
- Ford Taking Orders for 2012 Focus Electric at $39,995
- 2012 Honda Insight Hybrid Ups Fuel Economy at Under $20,000
- Chevrolet and Nissan Succeed with Plug-in Hybrids and EVs as the Business of Plugging In Shows First Product Results
- Toyota Prices 2012 Prius Plug-in Hybrid at $32,760 and $40,285
- Ford and Toyota to Develop a New Hybrid System for Light Trucks and SUVs as well as Future Telematics Standards
- Muscle Hybrids Decried for Performance in Hybrid Scorecard
- Toyota Offers New Prius Plus Performance Package for $3,699
