Honda has 7,000 CR-Zs in the first 3 weeks in Japan
Honda’s sales of its ‘Sporty Hybrid Coupe’ – the Honda CR-Z – are running at ten times expected levels, with 7,000 sold in three weeks in Japan.
Honda announced that their ‘Sporty’ hybrid – the Honda CR-Z – was up for grabs in the UK a couple of weeks ago, but so far we’ve had no feedback from Honda on the level of interest or sales they’ve achieved here. But we have heard from Honda about sales in Japan, and they’re way better than Honda had predicted.
Honda were aiming to make 12,000 sales of the CR-Z in their home market in the first year on sale. Which was probably a modest target. Still, modest or not, Honda has managed to sell 7,000 in the first 3 weeks, meaning they’ve hit 60% of their annual target in just 6% of the year – ten times expectations.
But are the sales numbers for the Honda CR-Z that surprising? If they carry on at this rate and Honda posts figures for the first year of 120,000 then that would be truly astonishing, but it’s not going to happen. The fact is that there isn’t a lot of stylish choice when it comes to a hybrid, and none that could be considered even remotely sporty. Big sellers are the Prius and the Insight, but they aren’t exactly works of art.
The Japanese are quite sold on the ‘Eco’ bit, so that’s a big sales help. They are also notorious ‘Early-Adopters’ – whatever hits the market they want immediately – and that has a big part to play. But perhaps the biggest factor is the Japanese loyalty to their own brands. They are incredibly supportive of their domestic car makers, to the point of exclusion for many competitors. Even Hyundai – all conquering elsewhere in the world – has given up trying to sell cars in Japan.
Add all these together and the sales are no big surprise. But at least the Honda CR-Z is more appealing than the Insight. Or the Prius.
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