Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that its worldwide cumulative hybrid vehicle sales reached more than 800,000 units as of December 31, 2011. The milestone was achieved 12 years after the company sold its first generation Honda Insight in Japan in November 1999, with a fuel economy of 35 kilometers per liter, which at that time had the highest fuel economy among gasoline-powered vehicles in the world. Honda sells seven hybrid models in about 50 countries all over the world. The ILX which is the first Acura model equipped with a hybrid system is scheduled for launching in spring this year in North America. (January 20, 2012)