TOKYO — Honda Motor Co. has not yet begun to fight when it comes to hybrid vehicles. That's the vow from CEO Takeo Fukui, who says the automaker will make a comeback with a rival to Toyota's Prius.

Honda suffered a misstep by rolling out a hybrid version of its Civic instead of a hybrid-only model, Fukui conceded last week at the company's year-end press conference here.

Honda will make up lost ground starting in 2009 with a new moderately priced hybrid, Fukui said. And by around 2010, hybrid vehicles will account for 10 percent of Honda's global sales, he predicted.

"The real competition has just begun," Honda's chief said. "Until now, it has been an image-based competition, not a business-based competition."

ENLARGE Honda says the Civic Hybrid was a misstep.

Honda will fix its image problem by rolling out the hybrid-only model, and it will address the business side by bringing the price down, Fukui said.

Honda has not said how much the new hybrid will cost. But Takanobu Ito, chief of automobile operations, said Honda is aiming at a price below the current Civic Hybrid. In the United States, the Civic Hybrid starts at $23,235, including shipping.

Details of Honda's comeback car are under tight wraps. Fukui said it will be built at the company's Suzuka factory in Japan and debut early in 2009.

The car will have a lighter hybrid motor system that will help improve fuel efficiency. Honda envisions worldwide annual sales of 200,000 units.

After that car hits the market, Honda is planning the global release of a hybrid sports car based on the CR-Z concept shown at this year's Tokyo auto show.