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New Honda Insight 5-passenger Hatchback
Let's talk about the new Insight, coming in April 2009 to the USA.
Will it give the Prius a run for it's money?
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/FREE/809049997/1065
The Honda Insight is back, this time with room for three more passengers.
Honda has revived the model name for the long-awaited dedicated hybrid vehicle tasked with taking on the Toyota Prius. And like its rival, it will be a five-door, five-passenger hatchback.
A concept version of the new Insight will debut at the Paris motor show in October, the company said on Thursday. The car is expected to hit U.S. showrooms next April.
The name is a carryover from Honda’s first crack at the hybrid segment. The first generation Insight was billed as the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle sold in the United States.
But the first generation had just two seats and sold only 17,001 units from its launch in 1999 to 2006, when production ended. It was easily eclipsed by Toyota’s Prius, which has sold more than 1 million since 1997 and remains the world’s best selling hybrid vehicle.
“The name Insight was chosen to denote Honda's ‘insight’ into a new era in which hybrid vehicles come within reach of most car buyers,” Honda Motor Co. said in its release.
Honda has bigger ambitions for the second generation Insight. It is eyeing annual sales of 200,000 vehicles worldwide, with about half being sold in North America.
Will it give the Prius a run for it's money?
http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080904/FREE/809049997/1065
The Honda Insight is back, this time with room for three more passengers.
Honda has revived the model name for the long-awaited dedicated hybrid vehicle tasked with taking on the Toyota Prius. And like its rival, it will be a five-door, five-passenger hatchback.
A concept version of the new Insight will debut at the Paris motor show in October, the company said on Thursday. The car is expected to hit U.S. showrooms next April.
The name is a carryover from Honda’s first crack at the hybrid segment. The first generation Insight was billed as the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle sold in the United States.
But the first generation had just two seats and sold only 17,001 units from its launch in 1999 to 2006, when production ended. It was easily eclipsed by Toyota’s Prius, which has sold more than 1 million since 1997 and remains the world’s best selling hybrid vehicle.
“The name Insight was chosen to denote Honda's ‘insight’ into a new era in which hybrid vehicles come within reach of most car buyers,” Honda Motor Co. said in its release.
Honda has bigger ambitions for the second generation Insight. It is eyeing annual sales of 200,000 vehicles worldwide, with about half being sold in North America.
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Honda has just released the first official photos of its eagerly-anticipated new dedicated hybrid car that will debut early in 2009. The car that until now had been referred to by Honda officials simply as the "Global Hybrid" will revive the popular Insight name from the company's first hybrid model. Although Honda is officially calling the car that will be shown in Paris next month a concept, these concepts tend to be extremely close to the final production version. Given the similarity to the spy photos we've seen already we shouldn't expect much to change before launch next year. The Insight does bear a strong resemblance to the larger FCX Clarity fuel cell car although as with most hybrids, the current Honda three bar grill design is actually a solid piece for optimized aerodynamics. Honda has already said that it has cut the cost of its IMA hybrid system in half for the Insight and the new Insight's price is expected to start in the neighborhood of $18,500. Honda is expecting about 200,000 world wide sales of the Insight with half of those going to the U.S
I am not a big proponent of the IMA, because the engine has to run to propel the vehicle. I think Honda should come up with a dual mode hybrid. Plus, I think their CVT still used an actual belt, which is not as reliable (IMHO) as the Ford and Toyota eCVT planetary gear systems.
It would be nice for Honda to have an "electric only" mode somewhere in their line.
Maybe they are saving that for a plug-in hybrid later?
A foot note about the dealer's mark-up: With its MSRP at $18,500 and expected high demand, I guess most of dealers will mark up the price of Insight for maybe $3000 or more, just like they did(and still doing) to Prius. We as consumer should have the solidarity to refuse to pay the mark up and walk away, be it Prius or Insight.
Looks nice.
The sad fact is even VW is charging big $$$ over sticker for their new diesels even worse if it's the wagon.
I think Honda has a real winner with this new Insight but they need to stop dealers from price gouging. Unfortunately that's an impossible task.
So the new Insight will sell over MSRP as long as they can get it.
That's why I'm looking at other options.
You could be right, but for now the dealers still can't get a Prius here at all. They just don't even bother to return phone calls unless you chase them down.
I'm wavering on the fact that it's good to get a Prius. I wasn't impressed before and now with gas dropping it's less of an issue for me now. The high prices along with no discounts and super limited availability mean I'm looking elsewhere. Trading in/Selling my 2008 Honda Civic Si and getting anywhere near it's value is all but impossible.
If my wife didn't have an issue with driving a manual we wouldn't have this problem.
Traded in my Honda Element (loved it) for a 2009 Honda Fit Sport and am really enjoying the Fit. I am #1 on a list for the 2010 Honda Insight at 2 dealers here in NC. I expect long waiting lists for April 2009 but, as someone mentioned, if gas prices keep sinking, that will affect the demand.
Don
p.s. I'm even more interested in the upcoming CR-Z hybrid.
Much.
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Does anyone in any part of the country have such a guarantee? I'm willing to travel if it means saving thousands.
Any suggestion on the best Denver area Honda dealer?
If your local dealers aren't willing to sell at MSRP, or even below MSRP, I'd look into traveling a bit to get a better deal.
High 50s or 60+ = Awesome !!!
Lowest cost high-mileage hybrid available, at $22.5K LOADED, but only $18K very well-equipped.
And as far as mileage: Well, it hit 51.5 in the Edmunds Test Drive, so my guess is that it will be in the "real-world" about neck and neck with the Prius and the HCH.
And at about $5K cheaper than the Prius when comparably equipped at the high end.
Will allow more people to try the hybrid experience.
Hasn't that been one of your gripes from Day One, Gary? Hybrids too expensive for Joe Public?
Now you can get a gas engine car for about $10K less than a Jetta TDI which will give it a run for it's money in highway mileage and trash it for sure in the city.
No other hybrid or non-hybrid can say THAT.
Can it?
They were smart enough to NOT create an almost unusable and impractical ( however super-efficient ) experiment like they did with the first Insight, which because of it's oddity sold low volumes to only the most eco-conscious.
They are going for a larger sales base and a more usable vehicle in the hopes of actually getting some market share.
I think it's a great idea. A hybrid that even lower-middle-class Joe Public can afford.
BRILLIANT !!!
Insight LX at $18,500ish vs. Fit base automatic at around $16,500?
Insight EX at $20,000 ish vs. a Fit Sport automatic at around $18,000?
Those prices are about $2K HIGHER than what has been discussed elsewhere. The "No Dealer Mark-up" line is crap. A load EX w/Navi is supposed to be $23K. An LX should be $19K.
Make sure you shop around.
At those prices, Honda loses the price advantage it has over a Prius, IMO.
All reports I've seen say that Honda is going to price the LX model around $18,500 and the EX model right around $20,000, with the EX-NAVI at $22,000.
Thankfully those days are gone but I'm sure some dealers will have $20K prices on $18.5K Insight LX's because they added pinstripes and fabric protection.
The Insight has great potential for Honda to grab some market share in a very down 2009 market. If they keep the price where it's been rumored to be, they can do it.
I'll leave the eloquence to our Chief Justice at the swearing in ceremonies. :P
Faithfully Yours, (or is it "Yours Faithfully"?)
dodgeman07
Although, on a side note, I did see a Kia dealer one time slap "Adjusted Market Value" on every model they had on display at a local mall.
I think Honda dealers will quickly find out though that if they front load a $18,500 Insight LX up to $20,000, they'll begin losing a lot of buyers to Accords, Camrys, and Altimas at that price point.
Either that, or consumers will try to get a deal on the last of the '09 Priuses...
On MSNBC.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28676262/
and on Motor Week to air this Friday morning (1/30/09) on Speed Channel
http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/reviews/rt2821a.shtml
Enjoy,
Don
One of the items that caught my eye was the 68dB interior sound level ay 70mph cruising. That is a commendably low number for what thus far has been called an "econobox". Quietness conveys a luxary impression and C&D noted that this is a quiet car at speed.
Insight LX at $18,500ish vs. Fit base automatic at around $16,500?
Insight EX at $20,000 ish vs. a Fit Sport automatic at around $18,000?
My questions exactly!
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Crazy as it may sound, I hope right but I think you're wrong. The price of oil is tied closely to the health of the world's economies. Barring a major catastrophic event bringing the price of oil up quickly, we're well over a year away from a healthy economy, and high oil prices.
Here in the Midwest regular gasoline topped out at $4/gallon last July. It was as low as $1.50/gallon around the 1st of the year and is now about $1.80, due more to local gouging than higher oil prices.
$3/gallon should be our mid-summer peak in 2009 - probably lower. $4/gallon gasoline will be back, but the summer of 2010 is the earliest it will happen. That's why we need a $1/gallon gas tax to help fund "infrastructure stimulus", at least while prices are low.
Good start but what our government really needs to do is set a target for future gas prices and make it so by imposing taxes incrementally, $10.00 gallon in 2020.
And use the income wisely, say rapid transit systems.
Given the rise in the Yen I think it's unlikely Honda can keep the price at $18K. I do think $20K is more likely for base model. I wouldn't pay markup either. If demand is very high though it may be difficult to get one at MSRP in the beginning.
But yes, it IS an odd time to be playing the game the same way they did in boom times.
My daughter in NC is eager to buy our Civic, and the 7yr/120K warranty will pass to her with it.
I was surprised that the SC dealer is expecting Insights in March, whereas the Honda dealer in Albemarle, NC told me they wouldn't get them until at least September.
Here are the exterior colors Honda lists for the North American Insights:
Clear Sky Blue (new and exclusive to the Insight)
Spectrum While Pearl (also a Civic hybrid color)
Alabaster Silver Metallic (also an Accord and Civic color)
Polished Metal Metallic (also an Accord and Civic color)
Crystal Black Pearl (also an Accord, Civic, and Fit color)
Atomic Blue Metallic (also a Civic and Element color)
Tango Red Pearl (also a Civic color)
The Clear Sky Blue is a very light/bright blue.
I expect the LX to be $19,995 and the EX to be $21,995.
http://lucienk.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!A4AE3FB12A26635!952.entry
Also see here Insight pictures with color red:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/photos/abg-first-drive-2010-honda-insight/
and
http://www.netcarshow.com/honda/2010-insight/
I believe dealers will get the Insights end of March but first customer deliveries may take several months.
Rookie, where did you get your US prices if I may ask?
I assume the $21,995 for the EX is w/o Navi?
Also, to add something new (and maybe even true??), I was told Honda originally would not sell the Insight until the roll-out date of Earth Day, 4/22 BUT that they have changed their mind and dealers may sell them as soon as they arrive which could be late March thru April and early May. I believe this change, if true, can be attributed to the economy and the need for dealers (and Honda) to sell some vehicles as soon as possible.
I will be calling the dealer about the ETA and the rollout date this week. I would be surprised if they brought up a "market adjustment" markup, knowing it might kill the deal. His sales were off 50% this past month, but of course they're expecting a big bump in sales in another few weeks.
ha ha.