Why Honda Keeps The Insight Hybrid
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 12.20.05
A recent post on the EV World Blogs gives us interesting insight (bad wordplay) into Honda's decision to keep producing its Insight hybrid despite very slow sales and an unchanged design since its 2000 introduction. Read on for an excerpt of the interview with Honda's Gunnar Lindstrom from EV World.
From EV World:
So, when I had the chance to talk to Honda's Gunnar Lindstrom at the 2005 Electric Drive Transportation Association conference in Vancouver last week, I asked him about the status of the Insight, the company’s two-seat, gas-mileage champ. [...]From Honda’s perspective, the car has greater value than its sales bottom line. With an EPA mileage rating of 61 city/69 highway, it continues to lead all other gasoline-engine production cars available in North America. As a result, everytime the EPA and Natural Resources Canada publish their best and worst lists on automobile fuel economy, the little Insight is always there at the top of the best, ahead of its nearest competitor, the Toyota Prius. That is PR power that is apparently worth every penny Honda loses on the Insight.
It would be a safe bet to assume, I think, that the Insight will continue to be produced in small numbers until Honda has developed a successor that it is confident will keep its name at the top of those fuel economy lists. I suggested this to Lindstrom and he nodded his agreement.
Obviously, the Insight vs. Prius comparison isn't very satisfying from a more objective perspective, with Honda's hybrid being a small aluminum two-seater and Toyota's hybrid being a mid-size "family" car, but PR and marketing are rarely based on objective standards, so it is not so surprising to learn that Honda is finding that the "halo" effect of having the fuel economy leader is worth keeping in production a car that sells about 2,000 units per year.
::Insight Into the Fate of Honda's Fuel-Efficiency Champ, via ::Autoblog
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Know Your Alternative Fuel Vehicles (Part 1)
- Chrysler To Ax Two Hybrid Models
- Honda's Econo-Nag Speedometer Tells You With Color
- Sustentable '08 Design Festival in Photos
Why is the Pruis a "mid-size 'family' car"? It's roughly the same size, and has around the the same cubic interior space as the Corola and Honda Civic. Both of which are concidered small cars just like the insight (granted the insight is much smaller). Hell, the Pruis used to be called "The Prius Corola." before they redesigned it.
I think their needs to be a better distinction between car sizes.
We'd all be better off with Insights anyway. 80% of the traffic on the road has only has ONE passenger (that being the driver). What do we need to hull around some huge vehicle for, when so many more of us can get around in so much less.
If you have a family though, the Prius or Hybrid Civic are much better choices then a van or suv.
"Hell, the Pruis used to be called "The Prius Corola." before they redesigned it."
Exactly. Before they redesigned it. The current one is bigger.
The pre-2004 Prius was indeed a compact car, but the model from 2004 to now is a mid-size. I did not take the measuring tape to one, but that's the category it is in.
In the US, cars are rated compact or midsize or whatnot based on their interior volume. The first-gen Prius was a compact, the current one is a mid-size. Toyota has essentially squeezed a midsized interior into a body shell the size of a compact.
Good thing they are keeping them, I hope to get an Insight soon.
I've been an Insight owner since November of 2003. From the perspective of a hippie-treehugger it's hard to understand why I don't see more Insights on the road, but it's certainly gratifying to hear that Honda (probably) won't replace it until something better rolls off the line.