The Honda Insight may have been the first ever hybrid vehicle to top Japan’s sales charts, but Toyota’s third-generation Prius is proving to be king of the hill. The Prius has just tallied its 15th straight month as Japan’s best-selling nameplate.
Thanks to government incentives, the Prius was able to retain its title as Japan’s best-selling car in July, extending its streak at the top to 15 consecutive months. The Prius found 34,456 buyers in Japan last month, easily beating out the second place Honda Fit’s 18,141 sales.
Honda’s Insight hybrid rocketed to the top of Japan’s sales chart shortly after launching – becoming the first hybrid vehicle to do so – but lost its top title following Toyota’s launch of the all-new Prius. Sales have continued to slide since then, with the Insight now Japan’s 22nd best-selling model.
The Japanese market is one of Toyota’s most important for hybrids, with about 1 million of Toyota’s 2.68 million total hybrid sales coming from the Asian region. Toyota has previously stated that it intends to sell 1 million hybrids annually after 2010, although no specific date has ever been revealed.
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1.’Toyota’s Prius tops…’ view
