Though revenues were initially spurred by the government's eco point system, hybrid cars are definitely the way to go for carmakers right now. Last month, sales of Honda's Fit hybrid outpaced those for Toyota's Prius hybrid, which had been Japan's best-selling car since March 2009. Though consumers seem to be getting on the environmental bandwagon, the real appeal of hybrids is economical: They use less gasoline. Or, at least, that's what we've been led to believe.
Actually, it's difficult to know what to believe, according to the mobile telephone site E-Nenpi. Nenpi is the Japanese word for gasoline mileage, and people who subscribe to the site have helped the company that runs it, Iidosha, compile mileage statistics for almost every Japanese car model. Iidosha is of the opinion that the mileage figures supplied by car manufacturers in their brochures are unreliable, since they are based on tests that have no relation to real driving conditions. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has apparently picked up on this skepticism and recently announced it would demand "improved" reporting on mileage testing.
Presently, the standard testing method in Japan is the "10.15 mode," which utilizes a fixed roller in a government-run facility. Automobiles "drive" on the roller at different speeds and an average mileage figure is calculated from the results. Starting in April, however, the standard testing method will become the "JC08 mode," which reproduces actual road driving conditions more closely. This method, however, has already been used by most automakers for several years and is usually listed in current brochures alongside the 10.15 mode figure, thus causing unnecessary confusion.