A cheap sticker price drove Honda's hybrid Insight to triple its expected sales numbers. Finally a win for the auto industry. The Insight is only available in Japan, but will be rolling across our nation in the next few weeks.

WSJ: The Japanese auto maker said it had received orders for about 18,000 Insights as of Monday. Honda said orders for the gasoline-electric hybrid car had already matched its monthly sales target of 5,000 vehicles even before the Insight's Feb. 6 rollout.

The orders data provide a rare bright spot for Japan's struggling auto market, which is expected to plunge to a 31-year low in 2009.

Part of the reason for the strong demand for Honda's new fuel-efficient hybrid is that its sticker price ranges between 1.89 million yen and 2.21 million yen ($19,120 and $22,360) including tax, which is cheaper than rival Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid vehicle. The Prius retails for between 2.3 million yen and 3.4 million yen.