TOKYO, Mar. 4, 2010 (Kyodo News International) -- Honda Motor Co. (NYSE:HMC) said Thursday that sales of its Insight hybrid car have exceeded 100,000 units about one year after hitting the market in February 2009 thanks to its fuel efficiency and reasonable price.
The model, whose price starts from 1.89 million yen, also benefited from the government's subsidy program for purchases of eco-friendly cars.
In April last year, the Insight became the top seller in Japan for the first time among passenger cars, excluding minivehicles with engines of up to 660 cc, with monthly sales of 10,481 units. It also became the first hybrid to capture the market leadership.
But the Prius, a Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) hybrid, has been widening its lead over the Insight recently.
The Toyota hatchback became the best-selling vehicle in February in Japan, leading the market for the ninth month in a row.
In February, the Insight finished 24th among passenger cars.
