16 Honda Clarity cars came together at a bizarre owners meet in Japan.

[Sho]

Hello everyone, I’m Sho, a Honda Clarity owner from Japan.

The other day, a truly bizarre “Honda Clarity owners meet” was held at a Honda specialty shop in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan (the home of Honda’s R&D center), and I’d like to share what it was like.

The event was organized by Mr. Shimizu, who served as the development leader of the Clarity series and has appeared in many media features. We were able to hear a lot of behind-the-scenes stories from the development process.
He also mentioned that it was his first time seeing so many Claritys gathered in one place, which really surprised him.He said there were more cars than they had prepared for the media test drive, lol

It’s said that around 20,000–30,000 Clarity PHEVs were sold in the United States, but in Japan, only about 450 units were sold. So having as many as 16 cars gathered this time was nothing short of a miracle. All of the colors officially sold in Japan were present. (As a fun fact, green was never offered in the Japanese market.)

 

[insightman]

Thank you for the great photos. Wish I could have brought my Clarity Touring to the meet!

I was excited in 2016 when Honda announced they would be selling the Clarity Plug-In Hybrid in all 50 of the United States. I placed my order the next day, but my Clarity didn't arrive for a full year after that.

Here's my Clarity PHEV--the first one in the state of Michigan--coming off the delivery truck in early November, 2017. Its Moonlit Forest Pearl paint is such a dark shade of green that it looks black in any light other than direct sunlight.

Was that color available in Japan? The sun was out when you took your photos, so I think I would have spotted any Moonlit Forest Pearl Claritys if one or more had been at your wonderful Honda Clarity Owners Meet.

As a favor, I allowed the dealership to display my Clarity in their showroom for a week before I took delivery. I was disappointed that no one who saw mine ordered one for themselves. However, many asked if they could get a Civic or Accord in Moonlit Forest Pearl (which they couldn't, because Honda offered it only for the Clarity).

 

[Sho]

Was that color available in Japan?

The Honda Clarity was never sold in Japan in the color Moonlit Forest Pearl.

Despite being a newly developed color specifically for the Clarity, Mr. Shimizu said that the sales team in Japan decided it wasn’t necessary. He also mentioned that he was very disappointed by that decision.

Interestingly, the same color—Moonlit Forest Pearl (BG66P)—was later used in Japan under the name “Forest Green Pearl” on Japan-market minivans such as the Stepwgn and the Freed.