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Honda decides NOT to unveil new insight in Detroit

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by efusco, Nov 27, 2008.

  1. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    E-It sounds like the car will be on display, but they will not hold the flashy "reveal" type thing that is often done with new models. Toyota hasn't changed plans.
    [​IMG]

    Bloomberg.com: Japan
    By Alan Ohnsman
    Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co., Japan’s second-largest carmaker, said it won’t hold press conferences to promote new models at the Detroit auto show in January as the U.S. industry struggles to survive.
    “We’re not going to be doing ‘traditional’ product unveilings in Detroit,†Kurt Antonius, a spokesman for the Tokyo-based company’s U.S. unit, said in an interview today. Honda will still display its latest cars and trucks, he said.
    Honda’s move makes it the biggest automaker to pare its plans for the North American International Auto Show, the main U.S. forum for new vehicles. Nissan Motor Co., No. 3 in Japan, said yesterday the company is conserving funds by skipping Detroit in January and the Chicago show in February.
    The Asian brands are mired in the industrywide slump that cut U.S. auto sales by 15 percent through October. U.S. automakers led by General Motors Corp. are seeking $25 billion in federal loans to help stave off a financial collapse.
    Mitsubishi Motors Corp., Japan’s fifth-largest automaker, said last week it wouldn’t attend the Detroit show, following similar decisions by Suzuki Motor Corp., Ferrari SpA, Land Rover and Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s Rolls-Royce. Porsche SE abandoned Detroit in 2007.
    Honda Insight
    While Honda won’t hold a formal press conference during the show, the “production†version of its new Insight hybrid will be displayed for the first time at the show and company executives will attend, Antonius said.
    Toyota Motor Corp., Japan’s largest automaker, isn’t changing its plans to unveil new Toyota and Lexus models in Detroit, said Mike Michels, a spokesman. Hyundai Motor Co., Kia Motors Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. all said today they still plan to attend the Detroit show.
     
    #1 efusco, Nov 27, 2008
  2. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    I think Honda is going to find later that they have made a mistake. The unveiling of the new Prius will receive all of the media attention and be all over the news and magazines and internet. Consumers will have their minds set on the new Prius, and the mainstream public won't even know the new Insight exists.
    Additionally, Toyota will go through with unveiling new Lexus models as well.
     
    #2 Rybold, Nov 27, 2008
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    I agree with you. You say "Hybrid" in the US right now and the next first thought of almost everyone is "Prius". Allowing Toyota this dramatic huge marketing advantage could be a catastrophic error.
     
    #3 efusco, Nov 27, 2008
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    If they want the Insight to succeed, they're gonna need some attention. Most people haven't heard of the original Insight, let alone seen one. A conference announcing a Prius fighter will get the attention of the general public
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Nov 27, 2008
  5. ibmindless

    ibmindless Member

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    Maybe it's the venue (Detroit). Maybe they equate it to kicking a dead horse (Big 3) or maybe they fear anti-Hybrid sentiments.

    Disclaimer: This is all my own idle speculation.
     
    #5 ibmindless, Nov 28, 2008
  6. jorgeez

    jorgeez New Member

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    Too bad I was waiting for its debut in the Detroit Auto Show.
     
    #6 jorgeez, Nov 28, 2008
  7. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    “We’re not going to be doing ‘traditional’ product unveilings in Detroit,”

    so maybe something new and spectacular
     
    #7 Flying White Dutchman, Nov 28, 2008
  8. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Well I know nothing about marketing I just know what I like. I like the look of the Insight only because it looks like a Prius, only thing that spoils it is the VW front.
     
    #8 patsparks, Nov 28, 2008
  9. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    they have this crazy notion to cut costs by deffering product launches and spending less on marketing...

    Thats just so silly. Opposite should happen. How can you expect your products to beat market slump if you decrease marketing and delay new product launches?
     
    #9 spwolf, Nov 28, 2008
  10. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Maybe they know the next gen Prius will steal the thunder so why bother.

    If the teaser screenshots are true about the next gen Prius, it will have hightech night vision, LED headlamp, and other cool features.

    It may make the Insight II look like a competitor to the current gen Prius.
     
    #10 usbseawolf2000, Nov 28, 2008
  11. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    The Detroit auto show will be a wake. I suspect that fear is playing in the decisions. It would be too easy for the Americans to point fingers of blame at imports.

    The car will still be there. They really don't need to hold a press conference to introduce it. That's the job of the automotive journalists. The press conferences are just BS anyway.
     
    #11 David Beale, Nov 28, 2008
  12. dr_d12

    dr_d12 Member

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    If they want the new Insight to succeed, they should make it look less like a a Prius carbon copy. It took me a few seconds to notice the badge on the front - the shape of the Prius is distinctive and many people equate that shape with "Toyota hybrid".
     
    #12 dr_d12, Nov 28, 2008
  13. ml194152

    ml194152 Member

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    The title of this article is very misleading: "Honda decides NOT to unveil new Insight in Detroit". The article specifically states they WILL show the new Insight at Detroit, its just that they won't hold a PRESS CONFERENCE for it. Big deal. That shouldn't stop the press from interviewing Honda and then reporting on that.
     
    #13 ml194152, Nov 28, 2008
  14. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Maybe as stated above, it's the venue. After Mr. Moore bashed GM for what they did to the city, followed up with the highest crime in the Nation ? ~ that's quite a one/two punch.

    Safest and Most Dangerous U.S. Cities, 2007 — Infoplease.com

    On the bright side our city and our 2 neighboring cities all made the top 11 safest city list. I suggest next year they should meet in warm sunny Orange County ... no need to layer clothes over a kevlar vest ! ;)
     
    #14 hill, Nov 29, 2008
  15. priusuk2008

    priusuk2008 New Member

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    I think that is going to happen anyway as Toyota is always a step ahead of the competition.
     
    #15 priusuk2008, Nov 29, 2008
  16. Rybold

    Rybold globally warmed member

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    +10
     
    #16 Rybold, Nov 29, 2008
  17. kosutasu

    kosutasu New Member

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    Honda never said that the Insight will not be introduced in Detroit, they just cancelled the press events. Today, the first production photo was released....

    japanesegreencars.blogspot.com/2008/12/honda-insight-ym2009-first-production.html
     
    #17 kosutasu, Dec 3, 2008
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