Insight Sales Down 25% Since 2010 Prius Release

[miscrms]

Originally Posted by The Electric Me

I'm afraid this could be bad news for everyone. Yes, I think the Prius is a superior product but failure of the Insight is bad news for Hybrids in general.

I have to disagree here. For years the hybrid naysayers have been foaming at the mouth about how the only reason Priuses sell so well compared to other hybrids is because they look weird, and people only buy hybrids to be noticed. IMHO Honda seems to have played that exact card. They thought they could make a car that looked just like a Prius, throw a few new gadgets in it, lower the price a bit to make up for its (relatively) weak fuel efficiency, and people would go gaga for it. Once again, as in the case of Accord Hybrid they read the market pretty badly. The FFH drives another nail in the coffin of this myth. Build a normal looking car with a good hybrid system and impressive mileage and people will buy it.

I hope this sends a very strong message to the carmakers; weak hybrid = weak sales, strong hybrid = strong sales. Hopefully they finally get it, its not about the looks, its about whats under the hood. In the long run I think this is very good for hybrids. I do agree that competition is key, and that the Insight threat lit a fire under Toyota. Hopefully Honda and everyone else steps up there game and starts putting up some serious competition. Then everybody wins.

[cwerdna]

As usual, Prius sales are decimating Insight sales.

American Honda Reports September Sales
Toyota Reports September 2009 Sales

What happened to the HCH? It either really got creamed or there was REALLY limited supply. They only sold 152 in the US last month vs. 2020 in the same period last year. I wonder if Honda's going to kill the HCH like they did the HAH.

[Rybold]

Recently, I have been seeing A LOT more 2010 Priuses on the streets. Today, I saw about seven or eight. Yep. I work in Aliso Viejo now, so no more driving up to Fullerton everyday. And, even without the 40 minute (traffic) drive each day, I still saw about 7-8 today!

[drees]

Yeah, sometimes I feel like I'm seeing more Gen3s on the road than Gen2s around here, which is amazing. I think overall they've still got them outnumbers by at least 3-4x, but for a brand-new model year, compared to one that's been selling for 5, it's pretty impressive how many they've been moving.

Very rarely see any Insights on the road, but there's a decent number of HCHs on the road.

[1SMUGLEX]

Its not just us. If you read the European reviews, they rag on the Insight as well. It is just a horrid effort