Clearly, the company’s gas-electric sales pace is quickening – it took Honda until 2005 to sell its first 100,000. At the time, only the Insight, Civic Hybrid and Accord Hybrid were available. By 2007, with no new models added to the list, another 100,000 had been sold. Honda introduced the second-gen Insight in 2009 and the CR-Z and Fit Hybrid in 2010. By December of that year, the company had cleared its decks of 600,000 units, and the pace of new introductions was about to increase. 2011 saw three new hybrid models (in Japan only), the Fit Shuttle, Freed and Freed Spike. This year, Acura introduced the ILX Hybrid in the US and Canada and, last month, after almost 13 years of offering hybrids, cumulative sales for the two brands hit seven digits. The US is responsible for 318,000 of those. Next year, a new Accord gas-electric and Accord Plug-In Hybrid will arrive with improved powertrains.
To compare, the world’s hybrid leader, Toyota, is now making and selling over a million hybrids a year and has sold over four million through the years. That’s impressive, but let’s remember that it’s taken over a decade for Honda and Toyota to reach these numbers, which can help put the White House’s goal of having one million plug-ins on the road by 2015 into perspective. For more information, check out Honda’s official press release by scrolling down.
TOKYO – Oct. 15, 2012 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that cumulative worldwide sales of its hybrid vehicles surpassed one million units as of the end of September 2012. This milestone was reached 12 years and 11 months after the start of sales of the first generation Honda Insight in Japan on November 1999, which achieved a fuel economy rating of 35km/liter1, then rated as the world’s most fuel efficient vehicle among all mass-production gasoline-powered vehicles.
Honda began hybrid vehicle sales in U.S. in 1999 with the 2000 Honda Insight – the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle sold in America. Cumulative sales of Honda hybrid vehicles in the U.S. market have now reached over 318,000 units, predominately sales of the Insight and Civic Hybrid.
Capitalizing on the unique features of Honda’s original lightweight and compact IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid system, Honda has been enhancing its hybrid vehicle lineup and currently sells eight hybrid models in approximately 50 countries around the world, including four distinct models in the U.S.
In May 2012, Honda began to produce hybrid models in regions outside of Japan starting with the Acura ILX Hybrid2 in the U.S., followed by production of the Jazz (Fit) Hybrid in Thailand. Honda will also begin production of the Jazz Hybrid in Malaysia at the end of October in an effort to deliver hybrid vehicles with speed, affordability and low CO2 emissions for customers in Asia where demand for fuel-efficient vehicles is expected to grow in the future.
In addition to further advancing the current hybrid model offerings equipped with the one-motor IMA hybrid system, Honda is introducing new hybrid systems for mid-size models that will be equipped with a two-motor hybrid system. Additionally, a highly-efficient and high-output three-motor hybrid system, the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD® (Super Handling All Wheel Drive), offering both superior dynamic handling and fuel efficiency, will be applied to the Acura NSX and RLX Sport Hybrid model, as well as the successor model of the Legend, scheduled to be introduced in Japan.
Under the global environmental slogan of “Blue Skies for Our Children,” Honda will continue its efforts to further market penetration of hybrid vehicles to realize a low carbon society.
History of Honda’s Hybrid Models
| Year |
Month / Model introduced to the market |
Honda’s Cumulative Worldwide Hybrid Vehicle Sales |
| 1999 | November: First generation Insight | |
| 2001 | December: Civic Hybrid | |
| 2004 | December: Accord Hybrid (North America only) | |
| 2005 | April: 100,000 units | |
| 2007 | May: 200,000 units | |
| 2009 | February: Second generation Insight | August: 400,000 units |
| 2010 | February: CR-Z October: Fit Hybrid |
December: 600,000 units |
| 2011 | June: Fit Shuttle Hybrid (Japan only) October: Freed Hybrid (Japan only) Freed Spike Hybrid (Japan only) |
December: 800,000 units |
| 2012 | May: Acura ILX Hybrid (USA, Canada only) | September: 1000,000 units |
1Measured in 10･15 mode with a 5-speed MT vehicle; roughly 82 m.p.g.
2Honda products are produced using domestic and globally sourced parts.
