Insight off to a flying start

To answer your prior question at the NAIAS reveal it was stated that the sales goal in the first full year here was going to be 180,000 units. Since then I believe that Toyota announce a goal for this year ( partial ) of 100,000 units.

I think both are optimistic. But I could be wrong if the market picks up. Pent-up demand is unknown I think.

 

that is about the time the "pipeline" for the new Pri will be full. only advanced packages will be available on the 2010 for the first several months. basic packages will come much later

 

My primary source is www.greencarcongress.com. It looks like October is a tough month for hybrid sales; we have a recession still going full bore; new cars take a month or so to 'settle out;' and we don't know what the summer and fall gas prices will be.

I like to look at the worst month for sales because lets us really see how the different models are doing against each other.

Bob Wilson

 

My favorite Honda dealer -- I drive an old Honda -- emailed me on 3/25/2009, 10:42 a.m., to come in for a test drive. They had some.

I was out of town and didn't get my drive until several days later, by which time several folks on another forum had already taken delivery of their pre-orders.

I do agree that we cannot draw many conclusions about sales volumes until the pipeline fills up better.

 

You left some bits out. I fixed it to be more informative.
Oh and I did another overlay, I have no idea how to use photoshop so my son did this one in 2 minutes, both pictures merged are unaltered in aspect ratio although I did flip the BMW.

 

I had my first fleeting view of the Insight II across two lanes of traffic
the other day. Only by close study and already knowing how similar
in appearance it is to the Prius did I have reason to look twice at it...

I know it was the Insight because I confirmed the Circle-H on liftgate.

The Insight II is not a Prius clone... exactly. Its lines and angles are just
a little bit sharper. And sizewise, it looks like 85-90% scale. I would
say it is a retro design as to my eye it looks more like the Gen II than
the pix I've seen of the Gen III Prius.

I like my Prius, form and function, and as imitation is the sincerest
form of flattery, I like the Insight too. I wish it and Honda well.

I hope that healthy competition in the market place between Prius III
and Insight II will keep downward pressure on Prius' prices so that in
2011- 12 the PHEV Prius will not be out-of-my-league expensive. :thumb:

 

Prius is pretty proud of their cars and priced accordingly.

Not that your not getting what you pay for, but the elite audience that appreciate the finer things in life are less than the frugal audience that wants a good car for the money in todays market.

Prius did excellent when money was easy, but now that its tight, It makes sense to me that the Insight is looked at much more closely.

If Toyota would lower the price of the Prius, they would again take the market by storm.... but I guess thats their choice.

 

I think the gauges are hideous.

 

April US Sales:

2,096 = 2010 Insight

0 = 2010 Prius

Equally meaningless...

 

What.. that statement?

Hasn't pricing and availability been out longer for the 2010 insight?
If so, then its not meaningless... if not, it just means more people are buying the insight.... simple.

I'm sure there are many reasons why which would give the meaning.

John just threw out the facts.

I'm sure it has meaning to Toyota if they wish they were selling more prius's and wondering why those buyers are going to the insight.

I could be wrong, but I think it has everything to do with money in this economy.

I can't see anyone buying because the insight has more room, features, looks, amenities, or better gas mileage?.... must be all about money. Unless its because it has an "H" on it.

I think it has something to do with money.

I think Toyota misjudged the market.

 

the whole thread has become meaningless especially when we start equating the worth of the insight against the Pri. they are not comparable. sure they both have 4 wheels, but that is where they stop... they are both hybrids but so is GM full-sized Silverado pickup, so lets throw that one in there, right??

the only thing i really got out of the article is that the first month of sales figures for the 2010 surpassed the total sales figure for the previous 3 years the insight was available... posting one month of figures for a foreign country especially when we are talking quantities of a few hundred is nothing. that is all it says, the rest we imagined. now if their prediction of 200,000 world wide comes true, than that would be something.

 

I believe if you compare Prius with the Insight, you've fallen into Honda's intention. Honda wants people to associate the Insight with the Prius. I believe their ingenious decision to make the profile look like the Prius triggers the discussion about the Prius.

We the Prius owners, need to clearly define the real differences between the 2010 Prius and 2010 Insight. One is "econobrid" and the other is "Lexbrid".

 

There may not be a comparison once you fully understand all the inner workings, and complexity of both.. but many who may get disenchanted with the options or price will turn to the other "just to check it out" and the lower price often wins. People are also very simple and non technical in many cases and don't appreciate what they can't see.

Salesmen would always rather you come to them last after you've exhausted all your resources for options, because thats when your most ready to buy.

 

Yea the first time I saw one of their commercials on TV I thought it was a commercial for the Prius, until I heard the word 'Honda.' I hate copycats that don't have the ingenuity to be original.

 

Yet you buy Toyota? King of the copy cats?

 

Please put down the Toyota blinders for a minute.
As has been pointed out in numerous other threads, the kammback hatchback design is not a Toyota original. Honda had the CRX in the 80s, some Civics in the 90s, and the original Insight in the early 2000s. From an unbiased eye, the new Insight shares more design cues from those previous Hondas than from the Prius.
The aerodynamic reality has more to do with these cars looking the same than either one trying to copy the other. Should we start decrying all 4 door sedans as copies of the first gen Prius?
As to the hybrid system, the Prius is the superior one. But it is in the neighborhood of being 2 to 3 thousand more than the Insight, which is about $50 more a month in payments. This is a big deal for many shoppers.

 

Toyota improves upon prior art. This is not the case with the Insight.

 

Then why does the Insight (0.28) has worse coefficient drag than the Civic Hybrid sedan (0.27 Cd)? If it was done for aerodynamic reasons, shouldn't it get better Cd than the Civic hybrid?

What is your source on the $2-3k? The difference between a comparable 2010 Insight and 2010 Prius is only $505 and Prius has a ton more hybrid exclusive features.

Feature and Price Comparison: 2010 Prius vs. 2010 Insight

 

The insight costs about an extra $1 to drive 100 miles. The cost savings of the additional fuel efficiency of the prius are mostly illusionary.

I'm going to go with the one with the most comfortable interior and handling.

 

Some shoppers don't care about features, but instead have to base their shopping on price. I'm glad you guys don't have to worry about it but some do, so bravo Honda for making hybrid, even in a lesser form, more accessible. Its ok to give compliments to another car, it won't make your decision to buy a Prius any less.