Honda Motor Co said on Wednesday it has received more than 10,000 orders for the CR-Z sporty hybrid car after a month on the Japanese market, or 10 times the pace of its monthly sales target.

Of the total, half of the buyers were new to the Honda brand, Japan's No.2 carmaker said in a statement.

Honda has said it expects to sell 40,000-50,000 of the CR-Z a year worldwide, with sales scheduled to start in North America and Europe this summer.

Japan Target