The Toyota Prius absolutely crushed the Honda Insight in sales during 2009 and it was probably for a number of reasons, one of which is likely the superior gas mileage that the Prius gets.
The Prius, which boasts 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway, sold nearly 140,000 cars in 2009. In an interview with Auto News, Honda CEO Takanobu Ito, stated that Honda was planning on amping up their mpg rating on future Insight models to surpass the Toyota Prius.
In 2009, despite going for $2,500 less than a Prius, a mere 20,572 Honda Insight’s were sold with US mpg rating of 40/43. Clearly Honda will have to make some dramatic changes to add another 11 mpg to the Insight’s performance.
Will Honda be able to compete in the hybrid car market in coming years? Let us know what you think.
Check out some used Honda Accord hybrids.
January 25th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
All Honda has to do is replace the Insight’s 8-valve engine with the more efficient 16-valve engine from the Civic Hybrid. The more expensive engine would drive up the price of the Insight to Prius levels, but maybe Honda could sell it as a special limited-edition Prius beater (the Insight PB?) and reclaim the top spot on the EPA mileage charts.
January 25th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
If Honda can get Prius MPG at $2,500 less it stands a chance. Not much of a chance but a chance. The Insight is smaller, and not as highly rated by Consumer Reports (except for service) as the Prius. In fact CR does not even recommend the Insight. The Insight scored a mere overall score of 54. A manual Focus even gets a 71.
Honda needs to rethink their IMA hybrid system. It looks like Toyota and Ford know how to really kick up the MPGs with their hybrid systems. Honda not so much.
I have tried to convince people that the Prius was the best selling hybrid because it was the best MPG hybrid, not that it is a hybrid only with a unique shape. Honda has now found this out.
January 25th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Not likely…Honda has marketed themselves to the point of no real ingeniuity. The first Insight was a good true hybrid but it lacked practicality for American families. They sat around watching everyone else push out good hybrids and now they hope to regain some of the market share by undercutting Toyota on price. Maybe if it was a true hybrid…but they cut corners on that whole concept to save on the mighty dollar. Honda needs to realize that the customer is always right. Make vehicles that people want not what Honda wants. Maybe that’s why Toyota has destroyed them in sales. Tell you what Honda maybe 20 years or so you’ll finally get the concept of appealing to the customer. Until then good luck with second place.
January 29th, 2010 at 12:37 am
I drove both Insight & Prius – two back-to-back test drives each, on the same streets.
The Insight was cheaper, but unrefined. Noisier inside, and it jerked when the powertrain switched over from battery to electric. The interior felt flimsy, and everything generally felt cheap.
The Prius on the other hand felt more solid, quieter and smoother in operation in every respect. And it got better MPG.
I ended up buying the Prius – my previous car was a Honda, and I really wanted to get the Insight – but it just didn’t stand up to a serious comparison. And in real world commuting, I actually get about 56 MPG on the Prius, which is a lot better than advertised.
February 4th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
too bad, prius is getting recalled for brake issues?? i’d rather buy an insight