Honda had high hopes for the new Insight hybrid and even though the automaker claims it isn’t a direct competitor to the Prius, many consider it to be. Especially the fact that it even looks like the Prius. Well it looks like the Insight is winning over very few buyers in the US. It probably has something to do with the fact that the reviews have been less than stellar and the Prius manages to get better mpg. Either way only 2,079 Insights were sold in June compared to 12,998 sales of the Prius. Honda had hoped to sell 90,000 units in its first 12 months, but at the current rate Honda will only manage to sell a third of that goal.
The one thing going for the Insight is that it starts at a lower price point than the Prius. Dealers are hoping that Honda will rework its marketing efforts to call out the price differences between the two hybrids. But it may not work since Toyota is planning on releasing a cheaper Prius that will start around $21k in September.
The Insight has managed to sell well in Japan, but Honda needs to figure something out quick in the US before the Insight is simply forgotten.
Full Story: Los Angeles Times
