Honda Hybrid Sales Pass One Million Worldwide in 2012; Insight, Civic Top Sellers

Honda has sold more than one million hybrid vehicles in the 12 years since it released the first generation Honda Insight Hybrid in Japan in 1999.

It was the most fuel efficient car on the road at the time, with a fuel economy rating of 35km/liter^–the equivalent of approx 80 miles per gallon if my math is correct.

When the Honda Insight began sales in U.S. in 1999 with the 2000 model, it was the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle sold in America, before the Toyota Prius arrived and stole all the headlines.

Click here for a review of the 2012 Honda Insight in Automobile magazine.

Click here for an INFOGRAPHIC that displays Honda’s 30+ years of producing vehicles in the United States.

Today, in 2012, there are more than a dozen hybrid models from Honda and Acura, Toyota and Lexus, Ford and Lincoln, Nissan and Infiniti and Mercedes, and a new VW Jetta hybrid that I’ll be test driving in New Mexico next week.

Honda sells eight eight hybrid models in 50 countries and has sold more than 318,000 hybrids worldwide, predominately sales of the Insight and Civic Hybrid.

Honda is or will be producing hybrids in several countries, outside of Japan starting with the Acura ILX Hybrid in the U.S. and the Jazz/Fit Hybrid in Thailand. Honda and Malaysia.

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, high-output three-motor hybrid system is due to be introduced soon in Japan.

That would be for the Sport Hybrid SH-AWD, a super-handling all-wheel-drive model, and for the new Acura NSX and RLX Sport Hybrid models — which may or may not be on display at the upcoming 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show next month (I’m attending, and will be reporting from the show floor).