As reported earlier this morning, Ford’s U.S. hybrid sales were up 73 percent during the first nine months of 2009, as compared to the same period last year. Through September, Ford said it sold 26,016 hybrid vehicles with the new Ford Fusion Hybrid leading the pack.

According to Automotive News, Ford and Honda are fighting for the No.2 spot among hybrid vehicle sellers in the United States. Honda currently holds the No.2 spot, led by the Honda Insight and the Civic hybrid, selling a total of 29,958 hybrid cars in the first nine months of this year, a gain of 8 percent from 2008.

Toyota Motor Corp. leads all automakers in U.S. hybrid sales by a huge margin, selling more hybrid vehicles than all of its competitors combined. However, Toyota’s U.S. hybrid sales were down 28 percent during the first nine months of 2009, with a total of 144,351 hybrid vehicles sold.

2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid:

- By: Stephen Calogera

Green Car Journal announced today that it has picked five finalists for the 2010 Green Car of the Year. The winner will be announced during a press conference at the 2009 LA Auto Show on Dec. 3.

2010 Green Car of the Year Finalists:

• Audi A3 TDI
• Honda Insight
• Mercury Milan Hybrid (no idea why it’s not the Ford Fusion Hybrid)
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Golf TDI

Let us know who you think should win by casting your vote in the poll below. Have something to say? Hit the jump to have your voice heard in the comments section.

Press Release:

Five Finalists Announced for the 2010 Green Car of the Year®

Winner to be Announced During an LA Auto Show Press Conference on Dec. 3

LOS ANGELES – Oct. 7, 2009 – Green Car Journal announced today its five finalists for the 2010 Green Car of the Year®, including the Audi A3 TDI, Honda Insight, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Golf TDI. For the fifth consecutive year, this prestigious award will be announced during a press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show press days, Dec. 3.

The Green Car of the Year® award is a program that honors environmental leadership in the automobile field and recognizes vehicles that are readily available to consumers during the award year. Green Car Journal editors perform an exhaustive review of vehicle models to identify the five finalists. The winner is ultimately decided by jurors such as Jay Leno, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Carroll Shelby, Matt Petersen of Global Green USA and the Sierra Club’s Carl Pope, along with Green Car Journal editors.

“We’re seeing the trend for ‘green’ cars emerging at all levels, from entry-level cars to luxury models, and even performance cars and SUVs/crossovers,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. “Plus, an array of technologies and fuels as well as strategies like lightweighting and reducing rolling resistance are being applied to the challenge. Greater choice provides buyers a personal stake in lessening environmental impact, and that’s important.”

This year’s finalists reflect this diversity. For the first time an Audi makes the final five with its sporty A3 TDI clean diesel. Volkswagen’s new Golf TDI shows an expanding focus on clean diesel technology in the VW lineup. The Insight is a completely new hybrid sedan for Honda and the 2010 Toyota Prius is a totally redesigned, third-generation version of this popular hybrid model. The Milan Hybrid is Mercury’s application of its advanced-hybrid technology in an upscale mid-size sedan.

About Green Car of the Year®

The GCOY award is an important part of Green Car Journal’s mission to showcase environmental progress in the auto industry. Since 1992, Green Car Journal has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and environment, first with an industry newsletter and then with an award-winning auto enthusiast magazine. Today, the magazine is considered the premier source of information on high fuel efficiency, low emission, advanced technology, and alternative fuel vehicles. Subscription information, along with a downloadable sample issue, can be found at GCJUSA.com. Green Car of the Year® is a registered trademark of Green Car Journal and RJ Cogan Specialty Publications Group, Inc.

About the Los Angeles Auto Show

The 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show will be held on Dec. 2-3 for press and Dec. 4-13 for the public. Media registration is now open. This year, the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles (OICA), the world automobile trade association, has officially named the Los Angeles Auto Show as one of its sanctioned international exhibitions. For more information, please visit LAautoshow.com.

- By: Stephen Calogera

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has awarded the 2010 Honda Insight, Toyota Prius and Kia Soul “Top Safety Pick” labels. As many of you are probably well aware by now, to qualify, the vehicle must earn of “Good” in front- and side-impact crash tests and feature stability control.

Stability control is standard on the Toyota Prius and Kia and is available high-end Insight EX. All three cars come standard with side-curtain airbags.

“The latest results show that consumers who want good fuel economy can also get a high level of safety,” said Russ Rader, an institute spokesman, in an interview with Automotive News. “Because there are so many small cars that test well, there’s no reason to settle for a small car with less-than-stellar safety ratings.”

Other small cars with the rating are the 2009 Subaru Impreza, 2009 Scion xB, four-door 2009 Honda Civic, 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer, 2009 Volkswagen Rabbit, 2010 Toyota Corolla and two-door 2009 Ford Focus.

- By: Omar Rana

The Honda Insight has been criticized for having very close similarities to its Toyota Prius rival; however, Honda is rejecting those claims and says that it did not try to mimic the design of Toyota’s popular hybrid.

“We don’t think it looks like the Prius at all,” said Nobuki Ebisawa, managing director at Honda R&D. “There may be some similarities in the roof line, but it is clearly different.”

Ebisawa says that the Insight shares most of its design cues with Honda’s FCX Clarity and the CR-Z concept. He said similarities between the Prius and the Insight only exist in the roof-line, which maximizes aerodynamics and makes room for a hybrid system.

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid:

2010 Toyota Prius:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AutoCar

Toyota spent most of February tossing and turning in its sleep over competition from the new 2010 Honda Insight. Honda’s new hybrid was the best-selling model in Japan in April; marking the first time a hybrid has held the spot for a monthly sales period. Well, Toyota can now sleep peacefully at night. 

For the month of May, Toyota’s 2010 Prius sales beat the Insight, becoming the best-selling car in Japan for the month.

“I think a green car tax break and other incentives helped the sales performance (of the Prius) quite a bit,” Akihiko Otsuka, chief engineer for the new Prius, told reporters.

The 2010 Toyota Prius went on sale on May 18 and was priced about $3,000 less than the outgoing model. Toyota says there were more than 80,000 advance orders for the third-generation model. Towards the end of May, Toyota announced that it will be increasing production of the 2010 Prius to meet better-than-expected demand.

We’re guessing all the Japanese folks listened to Clarkson when he called the Honda Insight ‘Biblically terrible.’ Nonetheless, Honda is planning to have four gasoline-electric hybrids on the road by 2012 including the CR-Z hybrid and a Fit hybrid.

2010 Toyota Prius:

- By: Kap Shah

Source: Reuters

The 2010 Honda Insight is the first of four gasoline-electric hybrids Honda has planned to bring to the roads by 2012. Early next year, Honda will unveil the production version of the much-anticipated CR-Z sports hybrid. That will be followed by a hybrid version of the Fit and the next-generation Civic Hybrid.

According to Japan’s Nikkei business daily, the Honda Fit subcompact hybrid will arrive in the autumn of 2010 followed by the next Civic Hybrid.

The 2010 Honda Insight hybrid, which is priced at 1.89 million yen ($19,960 USD), became the first hybrid ever to top the best-seller list in Japan in April 2009. Without citing any sources, Nikkei said that the Honda Fit Hybrid will carry a price tag of 1.5 million yen ($15,800 USD). Expected annual sales are estimated at over 50,000 units.

Spokeswoman Akemi Ando said that Honda has yet to decide on the schedule, price or sales target for the Fit Hybrid.

At this point, you guys are probably wondering what Toyota has up their sleeve to compete with the Honda Fit hybrid. As Toyota continues to fight the 2010 Honda Insight with the 2010 Toyota Prius, Toyota is also working on a hybrid version of the Yaris.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Reuters

So for what you’ve read about the Honda Insight is all bells and whistles about the hybrids fuel-economy and its ability to tell you how “green” you’re driving. However, rarely has any journalist commented on what the 2010 Honda Insight is like as a car that moves you from point A to point B – until now.

Jeremy Clarkson, host of our favorite TV show Top Gear, recently wrote a review on Honda’s latest hybrid offering over at TimesOnline. Here’s what Clarkson had to say about the Insight.

So here goes. It’s terrible. Biblically terrible. Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It’s the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn’t have to drive it any more. The biggest problem, and it’s taken me a while to work this out, because all the other problems are so vast and so cancerous, is the gearbox. For reasons known only to itself, Honda has fitted the Insight with something called constantly variable transmission (CVT). 

You can read the rest of Clarkson review over at TimesOnline by clicking here.

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid:

- By: Omar Rana

According to Japan’s Nikkei business daily, Toyota has received 75,000 orders for its new 2010 Toyota Prius. That will give it a big chance to hold its ground in a fierce battle with the 2010 Honda Insight hybrid, which reported sale figures of nearly 20,000 units in the first three months.

In March, Honda said that it will boost production of the Insight hybrid to meet demand and reach its annual goal of selling 200,000 units annually worldwide, 100,000 of which it expects to come from the United States.

The 2010 Toyota Prius will go on sale later this month with prices starting at $21,750. The 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid is on sale now with prices starting at $20,470.

2010 Toyota Prius:

- By: Kap Shah

Source: Reuters

The 2010 Honda Insight hybrid, which went on sale in Japan on February 6, has been ranked the industry’s best-selling new car in Japan for the month of April. Honda sold a total of 10,481 units of the Insight, making it the first time a hybrid model has held the spot in Japan for a monthly sales period.

Honda said that its Fit was the best selling new car in Japan in 2008 and the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009. Fit was also the best-selling car in March for the fourth consecutive month until it was knocked out by the Insight.

Toyota has made it clear that it is aware of the challenges set forth with Honda’s new hybrid.

In the U.S., pricing for the 2010 Toyota Prius starts at $21,750, $1,280 more than the $20,470 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid.

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid:

- By: Kap Shah

According to a report by Japan’s Nikkei newspaper, Toyota and Honda are making an estimated profit of about ¥300,000 ($3,100 USD) on every hybrid they sell. That is pretty close to what they make on small gasoline vehicles as well.

Nikkei said that if Honda sells 200,000 units of the 2010 Insight Hybrid in the first year, the company could generate more than¥350 billion ($3.6 billion USD). Honda is estimating a gross profit margin of more than 15 percent on each Insight. The gross profit on Insight sales is projected to come around 60 billion yen ($622 million USD) in the first year (¥300,000 per unit).

The Japanese publication said that Toyota had earned a gross profit of about ¥100 billion yen (US$1 billion) on its second-generation Prius hybrid in 2008.

The 2010 Toyota Prius will go on sale this May with prices starting at $21,750. The 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid starts at $20,470.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Green Car Congress

Just two days ago, it was reported that Toyota will lower the price of the 2010 Prius in Japan to make the hybrid more competitive with the 2010 Honda Insight. Today, Honda’s CEO Takeo Fukui said that he will not lower the price on Insight anymore.

“I don’t think that would be meaningful to do so,” Fukui told Automotive News. ”I think that is something we can’t do right now,” he said. “We have to carefully examine the new Prius to know whether it is necessary for us to take certain measures.”

Dealers in Japan have said that the 2010 Prius will carry a starting price tag of 2.05 million yen ($20,750 USD).

Fukui also said that Honda is working on a hybrid drivetrain for larger cars and will abandon previous targets to rely on clean diesels in the large vehicle segment.

Next year Honda will also launch the CR-Z hybrid along with a hybrid version of the Fit.

2010 Honda Insight:

2010 Toyota Prius:

- By Omar Rana

Toyota has notified its Japanese dealers that it will price the new 2010 Toyota price at 2.05 million yen ($20,750 USD) which is right on par with the new 2010 Honda Insight. The move is Toyota’s latest response in the hybrid war between the Prius and Honda Insight.

Still, that might not be enough to entice treehuggers to go with the Prius over the Insight. Japanese dealers say that the base model of the 2010 Pius starts at 2.05 million yen ($20,750 USD) which is the same as a middle-trim Insight. The top-of-the-line 2010 Insight goes for 2.21 million yen ($22,370 USD) while the Prius runs all the way up to 3.27 million yen ($33,100 USD).

No word on whether if Toyota will make the same move in the U.S., but according to Automotive News, aggressive U.S. pricing is very likely. The 2010 Honda Insight went on sale in the U.S. in March with prices starting at $20,470. The third-generation 2010 Prius is expected to start around $24,000.

The current Toyota Prius starts at 2.331 million yen ($23,590 USD) in Japan.

2010 Toyota Prius:

2010 Honda Insight:

- By: Kap Shah

Honda is gearing up for the launch of the Insight hybrid in international markets and has released a new TV ad called “Let it Shine’ to support the hybrid’s launch in Europe and the U.S. next month.

Honda gathered up some skilled geeks to create what appears to be the world’s largest LED screen with car headlights that display sequences of dot matrix graphics that “depict the notion of good.” Animations show hugs and kisses, smiley faces and other things that make us want to go hug a tree.

‘Let it Shine’ was directed by Erik van Wyk and creative directed by Jeff Kling, John Norman and Sue Anderson. It features a bespoke recorded version of ‘This Little Light of Mine’ created by Berend Dubbe.

Click through to see the ‘Let it Shine’ TV ad.

Press Release:

Honda Shines Bright In New TV Ad To Support Affordable Hybrid Car

March 26, 2009 – Honda will debut its latest TV ad ‘Let it Shine’ in April to support the launch of its new hybrid car, the Insight. The advertisement is part of an integrated marketing campaign to work towards the company’s aim of environmental leadership across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEAR) by 2015.

The 60, 30, 20 and 15-second TV spots marks the global launch of the all-new Insight – the most affordable hybrid on the market – which aims to make cleaner car technology accessible to a wider audience. The new Insight goes on sale at the start of April in most of Europe.

The advertisement opens on what appears to be the world’s largest LED screen displaying an animated sequence of simple dot matrix graphic stories that depict the notion of ‘good’. The animations show hugs and kisses, frowns turned into smiles, and general goodwill – all aiming to convey people’s inherent wish to be good. As the animation plays it is slowly revealed to the viewer that it is actually being created entirely by the headlights of hundreds of Honda Insight cars. The spectacle is set to a bespoke recorded version of ‘This Little Light of Mine’ created by Berend Dubbe.

‘Let it Shine’ has been created by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam for use across Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia. The European debut of ‘Let it Shine’ takes place on March 28 in Belgium.

The campaign extends Honda’s strategy of continuing to be at the forefront in environmental technologies and communications. This new approach underpins a communications plan which will run alongside the expansion of Honda’s hybrid range with a coupe based on the CR-Z concept and a Jazz hybrid set to join the new Insight and existing Civic Hybrid in the next two years.

Chris Brown, Head of Marketing for Honda Motor Europe comments: “We would like to become the most admired company in the world, and to do this we need to have the most admired brand and communications across our region, EMEAR. This is a continuation of our journey.”

This latest campaign is truly integrated; with print, outdoor and digital in addition to TV. The theme ‘Everyone Wants to Be Good’ is incorporated throughout, as well as the iconic ‘Honda Eco’ flower – a visual cue to the ‘Eco Assist’ system within the Insight which encourages and rewards efficient driving.

In the end, although the team discovered that the idea was logistically feasible, they were concerned about the carbon footprint that a shoot of that magnitude would leave. After doing the work to see what was possible W+K and Honda made a conscious decision to look at a more environmentally friendly alternative. The result was a fusion of modelling software for animation, a small number of Insight vehicles for scale and a few hundred Insight headlights. The vehicles and headlights were precisely spaced and wired together while a specially created computer program created the two separate halves of the animations. These animation halves were subsequently married together in post-production.

This approach allowed the team to greatly reduce the carbon footprint of the shoot. To further limit carbon output they relied on vehicles already located in South Africa, grouped shipments of props and lights as much as possible, and mandated group transportation of personnel to and from shoot. For further good measure, the shoot’s carbon output that could not be prevented was entirely offset through carbon credits purchased through the Carbon-Neutral Company’s Unity Portfolio.

‘Let it Shine’ was directed by Erik van Wyk and creative directed by Jeff Kling, John Norman and Sue Anderson. It debuts across Europe in April and will be shown in 14 countries initially.

First air date is Belgium on 28th March. 

Honda’s Insight hybrid is a huge hit and Japan. Barley on sale for a week in the U.S., the Insight has becoming a big love-interest for treehuggers – so much so that Honda is already working on increasing output for the hybrid in North America.

According to Automotive News, Honda is already turning out 600 units of the Insight a day with half of them being left-hand drive units. Nonetheless, executives say that production outside of Japan is long ways off. The Honda Insight is currently rolling off the line at Honda’s Suzuka plant. Line 1, which is the only Honda line making hybrid vehicles, is also responsible for production of the Civic and the Fit.

The Honda Insight went on sale in Japan on Feb 6. and has racked up more than 21,000 orders since. That number is nearly triple Honda’s domestic sales target of 5,000 units a month.

Honda is looking to sell 200,000 units of the Insight annually, with 100,000 coming from North America.

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid:

- By: Omar Rana

According to a report by Nikkei business daily, Toyota is planning to produce a new low-price hybrid aimed at Honda’s Insight that was recently launched in Japan with prices starting under 1.80 million yen (under $19,000 USD).

Honda said that 18,000 units of the Insight were ordered during its first month of sales, which is more than three times the company’s monthly target of 5,000. Of course, that was a major scare for domestic rival Toyota.

Sources say the new and cheaper Toyota hybrid will carry a smaller engine than the Prius’ 1.5 liter.

Toyota’s new gasoline-electric hybrid is expected to hit the market as early as 2011 in Japan with prices to start 20 to 30 percent below the Toyota Prius which starts at 2.33 million yen (about $23,000 USD). Insiders said that sales may expand to other markets.

Toyota’s 2010 Prius goes on sale in May with a starting price tag of 2.05 million yen (around $20,000 USD).

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Forbes

Honda has finally announced the pricing details on the new 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid. As most of you already know, power comes from a 1.3L i-VTEC engine mated to a 10-kw electric motor allowing for an EPA estimated fuel-economy of 40/43 mpg (city/highway).

The 2010 Insight will be available in three trim levels including LX, EX and EX with Navi. Starting at $19,800(plus $670 in handling and destination charges), buyers can opt for the 2010 Honda Insight LX. The Insight EX starts at $21,300 and gives you premium features like alloy wheels; cruise control; steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters; an upgraded audio system with six speakers; USB audio interface3; a center console with armrest and storage compartment; and heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals. The Insight EX with Navi will start at $23,100.

The 2010 Honda Insight goes on sale next month.

Follow the jump for the press release and the high-res image gallery.

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid:

Press Release:

All-new Honda Insight Starts Under $20,000; Becomes Most Affordable New Hybrid Available in the U.S.

Insight targets entry segment as gateway to hybrid technology

The all-new 2010 Honda Insight goes on-sale March 24 with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price1 (MSRP) of $19,800 for the Insight LX, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

The distinctively styled, five-passenger, five-door dedicated hybrid vehicle is powered by an Integrated Motor Assist™ (IMA™) system comprised of a 1.3-liter i-VTEC® gasoline engine and a 10-kilowatt electric motor that together contribute to an EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy rating of 40/43 miles per gallonn2. The Insight features the Ecological Drive Assist System (Eco Assist™), an innovation that can further enhance efficient vehicle operation while providing feedback related to individual driving styles.

“The all-new Honda Insight brings the cost of entry for hybrid technology within closer reach of an entirely new car-shopping audience,” said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda. “In addition to making good environmental sense, hybrid technology is now entering a new era where it can also make financial sense for a broader range of customers.”

A sleek exterior blends design elements from the original 2000 Insight’s highly aerodynamic side profile with a front-end design similar to the hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity, a marquee environmental product for Honda. The interior offers a roomy passenger environment with a configurable rear seating and cargo area that benefits from 60/40 split fold-down seats.

Major features standard to the Insight LX include front, front-side and side-curtain airbags; an anti-lock braking system; a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT); Eco Assist; automatic climate control; tilt and telescope steering column; manual driver’s seat height adjustment; power windows; a four-speaker AM/FM audio system with CD player and auxiliary audio input for external digital music players; and much more.

A more premium version of the Insight is also available. The Insight EX, with a MSRP of $21,300, adds to the Insight LX features with Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®); alloy wheels; cruise control; steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters; an upgraded audio system with six speakers; USB audio interface3; a center console with armrest and storage compartment; heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals; and much more. Exclusively available on the Insight EX, the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System4 (6.5-inch screen) with voice recognition provides routing and guidance to individual addresses and more than 7 million points of interest within the continental United States. Models equipped with the navigation system also include Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink® for hands-free operation of compatible mobile telephones, along with related steering wheel-mounted controls for voice activation of navigation and hands-free telephone systems.

A 4-cylinder engine with intelligent variable valve timing and a DC brushless electric motor forms the foundation of the IMA hybrid system. The electric motor, positioned in-line between the engine and the transmission, adds power during acceleration and in certain cruising situations, and recaptures energy from the vehicle’s forward momentum during braking (regenerative braking).

The Insight’s IMA system has the capability to operate exclusively on electric power in certain low- to mid-speed cruising conditions. It can also provide cylinder deactivation during deceleration and an idle-stop feature when the vehicle is stationary. With a 10.6-gallon fuel tank, the Insight delivers an estimated maximum driving range exceeding 400 miles. Models for sale in California and states that have adopted the California Air Resources Board (CARB) ZEV standards receive an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) emissions rating.

The Insight introduces Eco Assist to help drivers achieve improved real-world fuel economy. Eco Assist is a feature designed to help drivers optimize fuel efficiency for their given set of driving conditions. Pressing the ECON button can further enhance the efficiency of multiple vehicle systems: throttle control, CVT operation, idle-stop duration, air conditioning and cruise-control operation (EX only). Eco Assist also provides feedback about driving style via a 3D-appearing background within the speedometer. The background changes colors from green to blue to reflect how efficiently or inefficiently the driver is accelerating or braking (green = efficient). The driver’s results are continuously tracked as fuel-economy ratings are shown per drive cycle and on a lifetime basis in the form of plant-leaf graphics that appear in the Multi-Information Display (MID). Up to five leaves can be ‘earned’ as the driver demonstrates a fuel-efficient driving style. A real-time score is shown in the Eco Guide MID screen.

Standard safety features on all Insights include dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags; front-side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side-curtain airbag system; anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution (EBD); driver’s and front-passenger’s active head restraints and a front body designed to mitigate pedestrian injuries. All new Insights also feature Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure, which provides improved frontal-crash compatibility between vehicles of different size and ride height.

Honda is a leader in developing cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicle technologies, including the original Honda Insight, introduced as America’s first mass-produced hybrid car in December 1999. Honda is also a leader in the development of advanced alternatives to gasoline, including the zero-emission, hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity fuel-cell car, the world’s most advanced production fuel-cell automobile.

2010 Honda Insight Pricing and EPA Data

Honda’s deputy chief operating officer for its domestic (meaning Japanese) operations said that the automaker plans on producing more units of the Insight Hybrid starting April. Hiroshi Kobayashi said that Honda has received almost three times its monthly target for the Insight Hybrid which went on sale in Japan on Feb. 6.

Over the next two months, the 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid will make its way to the European and North American markets. Honda plans on selling 200,000 units of the Insight globally. It expects more than half of that number to come from North America.

“The response has been overwhelming,” Kobayashi told Automotive News. “We will have to increase production plans.”

Kobayashi didn’t say how much Honda will expand output for the Insight. He said that customers in Japan who have ordered the car will have to wait at least one month. The 2010 Honda Insight costs 1.89 million yen ($19,980) in Japan.

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid:

The 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid is seeing strong demand in its home market of Japan. The 1.89 million yen ($21,000 USD) went on sale in Japan on Feb. 6 and has already received more than 5,000 orders.

“This is so much better than expected. The Insight is priced below 2 million yen, and is energy efficient. We believe consumers like these aspects,” said Honda spokeswoman Natsuno Asanuma.

The 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid will make its U.S. and European debut in March. Honda plans on pricing the U.S. spec Insight right around $19,000, cheaper than the Civic Hybrid.

Powered by a 1.3 SOHC i-VTEC engine mated to a CVT transmission and Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist hybrid technology, the Insight Hybrid returns an estimated 40/43 mpg (city/highway). It has a driving range of more than 400 miles on a full tank.

2010 Honda Insight Hybrid:

Source: Detroit Free Press