Honda Insight gets 500 confirmed bookings, more than total hybrid sold in 2009

The recent launch of the new Honda Insight hybrid at the just concluded KLIMS (Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show) has garnered quite a nice and steady following. This came with the attractive price tag of this model which at RM98,000 makes it the cheapest hybrid model in Malaysia.

According to Honda Malaysia, the distributor of Honda cars in the country, they have already received 500 confirmed bookings for the new Insight. This came less than 10 days since its launch at the motor show last week. This means that they are on course to achieve their target for 2011 where they are aiming to sell 4,000 units. The 12.5% in terms of sales is more than the total of hybrid sales for 2009, surpassing 40% of the total sold in that year.

Honda announced that they will start delivering the cars starting mid February next year and it is a promising start and a significant milestone for achieving the record of having the highest ever confirmed booking for a hybrid model in the country. Currently, Honda sells the Honda Civic Hybrid while Toyota is selling the Toyota Prius, both of which are above the RM100,000 price tags respectively.

Takeshi Hirano, the Head of Sales and Marketing of Honda Malaysia said that the overwhelming positive response for their new hybrid model meant that they have to work harder to provide better Customer Satisfaction and to do so, they announced that they will be extending the battery warranty of the Honda Insight. Currently, the battery comes with a 3 year warranty by Honda Motor Japan and the Malaysian subsidiary will be giving another 2 years for the battery which is always the biggest concern among hybrid owners. Another effort they are putting in place to ensure better customer service is where Honda Malaysia will reduce the price of the spare parts for the new Insight and this applies to the battery particularly where there could be a reduction of more than 40%.

The recent decision by the government to extend the tax exemptions for hybrid vehicles surely has benefited companies and Hirano said that it has made their models more accessible and with the new Insight and their current Civic Hybrid, it would result with more hybrids coming to our roads.