Honda Fit overtakes Toyota Prius as best-selling vehicle in Japan
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hybrids/" rel="tag">Hybrid</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/japan/" rel="tag">Japan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/hatchbacks/" rel="tag">Hatchback</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/honda/" rel="tag">Honda</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/toyota/" rel="tag">Toyota</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/european-honda-jazz-hybrid/"><img alt="Honda Jazz/Fit Hybrid" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/honda-jazz-hybridlead.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 4px 0px; width: 630px; height: 420px;" /></a>
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European Honda Jazz/Fit Hybrid - Click above for high-res image gallery</div>
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The <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/prius">Toyota Prius</a> is unquestionably the <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2010/10/08/worldwide-sales-of-prius-crack-2-million-mark-toyota-planning-1/">world's best-selling hybrid</a>, and for the past 20 months Toyota's gas-electric has held the title of the <em>top-selling automobile</em> in Japan. Well, the fuel-sipping Prius has finally relinquished its perch atop the Japanese sales chart and the new champ is a pint-sized contender ready for the big leagues.<br />
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In January, the <a href="http://autoblog.com/model/fit">Honda Fit</a> subcompact overtook the Toyota Prius, capturing the number one spot. Fit sales in Japan surged to 14,873 units in the first month of this year, a 14 percent increase over the sales it tallied in January 2010. In addition, nearly half of the 14,000-plus buyers opted for the Fit Hybrid. Part of the appeal of Honda's subcompact gas-electric lies in its &yen;1.59 million ($19,331 U.S. at the current exchange rate) price tag, which is approximately $3,500 less than the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/model/insight">Honda Insight</a> and undercuts the Prius by a similar margin. Perhaps, as one analyst previously pointed out, it really is time for <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2011/02/01/toyota-prius-price-drop/">Toyota to consider a Prius price drop</a>.<br />
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<div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/european-honda-jazz-hybrid">European Honda Jazz Hybrid</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/european-honda-jazz-hybrid/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/honda-jazz-hybrid2-1285609311_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/european-honda-jazz-hybrid/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/honda-jazz-hybrid1-1285609308_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/european-honda-jazz-hybrid/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/09/honda-jazz-hybrid0-1285609303_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/european-honda-jazz-hybrid/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/02eurojazzhybrid_thumbnai l.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/european-honda-jazz-hybrid/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/08/01eurojazzhybrid_thumbnai l.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
[Source: <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9L5PGL01.htm">Business Week</a>]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/honda-fit-overtakes-toyota-prius-as-best-selling-vehicle-in-japa/">Honda Fit overtakes Toyota Prius as best-selling vehicle in Japan</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:58:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9L5PGL01.htm>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/honda-fit-overtakes-toyota-prius-as-best-selling-vehicle-in-japa/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19832633/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/08/honda-fit-overtakes-toyota-prius-as-best-selling-vehicle-in-japa/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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