Honda Insight handily outselling projections in Japan
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2010 Honda Insight
So far, all indications are that Honda has got a hit on its corporate hands in the form of its new Insight hybrid hatchback. The automaker had been hoping to get 5,000 orders per month in its home market of Japan for the new Insight, but that sales target was eclipsed after just over a week on the market. According to Honda, there were already 5,000 advance requests for the car before it was even available to order.
This early sales success may bode well for Honda, which will be launching the new Insight in Europe in March and in the United States in April. When it finally does reach dealerships, the Insight will cost well under $20K, undercutting its primary competitor, the Toyota Prius, by a few thousand dollars.
It's no secret that we're in a tough market and it could have been a case of very bad timing to launch a brand new global vehicle line. Fortunately for Honda, this seems like the right car at the right time. It will certainly be interesting to watch Toyota roll out its new 2010 Prius hybrid later this year.
Gallery: ABG First Drive: 2010 Honda Insight
[Source: Detroit News]
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
cwathne 4:03PM (2/17/2009)
This is great news. I hope this leads to Honda creating an even smaller (like a new Del Sol) and less expensive sporty hybrid.
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Yikes 4:05PM (2/17/2009)
I do think this car will be a huge hit in the USA.
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Gary 4:28PM (2/17/2009)
It might be a hit if Honda can get their heads out of their collective orificies.
I was at the Chicago Auto Show this past weekend. They had 1 there to show and it was behind ropes so all you could do was look at the outside. I asked where they had one to actually sit in and check out the leg room (I'm tall), equipment placement, etc. Their answer "Sorry none to try out. But I can give you info on a dealer you can go to and order one".
yeah... NOT. This isn't some prototype... it's going to be released in about 60 days. Why the heck won't they let me sit in one at a show where the whole point is to let you get some hands on with the cars?
Yes, this is a big deal to me as I have a Civic Hybrid (2003) and while it's been a great car I've never been thrilled with the leg room (or lack thereof). At the time I bought it the Prius was just as bad so Honda won out. This time around, besides high mileage I'm taking a much more critical look at comfort (space and handling/ride) too.
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paulwesterberg 6:33PM (2/17/2009)
I'm 6' tall and find that the prius has ok legroom, it might be an uncomfortable squeeze for a taller guy.
why not the LS2LS7? 4:28PM (2/17/2009)
The 5,000 orders a month was surely when expressed over a longer period than just a week. It's a pretty dumb mistake to count orders in the first week (or before it) as indicative of orders 11 months later.
It may be that the car doesn't "handily" outsell projections when measured over a more reasonable timeframe.
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gorr 4:54PM (2/17/2009)
This car will sell for the first 2-3 months then slowly die away as the internet green sites bubble that leaded to this identity and technology crisis die away too.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2009/01/reported-sales.html#more
100 years of mandated toxicity and fuel cost for nothing is about to end due mainly in consumer awareness, despite chris m and the republicans still trying with the help of gm, ford, chrsler, toyota, honda, yamaha, kawasaki, suzuki, subaru, daihashu, nissan, aston martin, jaquar, bently, porsche, ferrari, fiat, skoda, john deere, caterpillar, detroit diesel, mack trucks, freightliner, renauld, citroen, audi, volkwagen, boeing, general electric, tata, lawn boy, pg&e, shell, exxon, to make us drink unnessary petrol all day, all week, all year for all cars, trucks, moped, scooters, motorcycles, recreationnal boats, jet skis, small helicopters, airplanes, ships, trains, electrical generation, aircraft carriers, hummers, tanks, missiles, bombers, jet fighters, cigarette lighters, camping equipments, radio-controlled hobby aircrafts, agricol machineries, mines machineries, refineries, industrial machineries and process, etc, consumers have stopped to buy old faschion and outdated petrol gadjets and have provoked the biggest car crisis of all time because no one on earth have put on sale near where i live a used car fitted with a hydrogen tank or an inside hydrogen producing machine that cost between 1 000$ to 80 000$ depending of the specification of the car.
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Chainsaw 5:12PM (2/17/2009)
You forgot Chainsaws.
GoodCheer 5:57PM (2/17/2009)
I especially love that gorr puts "etc" after a list of things 10 lines long... I kinda assumed he didn't know about doing that.
Boxman 7:20PM (2/17/2009)
LOL gorr do you have any idea what a crackpot you are? Every time I see your name I just skip right on down to the next comment because I know your post will either be an incomprehensible rant about hydrogen or just a long, run-on sentence about some random garbage that no one understands but you.
Anyway as for the Insight, when I heard the price I knew Honda was going to have a big hit on their hands. As always, Honda takes the pragmatic approach and reaps the benefits. These Insights will sell like hotcakes, even in the US market.
why not the LS2LS7? 7:26PM (2/17/2009)
You forgot leaf blowers.
Although, as a person who bought a corded leaf blower (because I am a nut about electric power), I can see some value to having a gas one instead. Still love my cordless mower though.
Chris M 10:01PM (2/17/2009)
Oh, Gorr, you should realize by now it isn't about you. None of those companies are going to go bankrupt because they wouldn't make your dream car for you. You are just one out of billions of potential customers, and very few of those billions are a picky as you.
noz 2:55AM (2/18/2009)
One leafblower operated for an hour pumps out as much toxic crap as do over 40 cars in the same time frame.
They are truly disgraceful devices that serve little to no purpose.
BoomBoom 9:32AM (2/18/2009)
Cigarette lighters and camping equipment!!! Awesome!! Those things are going to be the end of civilization!!
Hey Chris M, congrats on getting rated as high as the entire Republican party. You must have some serious connections. I'm honored that you see fit to hang around on this blog with the lowly peeps.
gorr 4:16PM (2/18/2009)
It's because you didn't have fun in your life.
Yikes 5:35PM (2/17/2009)
How about a gas powered meat grinder.
You know.
for SPAM
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John 7:07PM (2/17/2009)
make it run on hydrogen and you got a business model ;)
sorry couldn't help the snipe :D
noz 2:53AM (2/18/2009)
The more I see this car, the more hideous it becomes. Honda could have done such a better job in making this car look really good. With so many nice looking vehicles out there, there was no real reason for it to look like this. Aerodynamics they say? There are nice looking cars out there that have the same or close to sam Cd's to this car.
Truly hideous...particularly from the angle show in this photo.
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BoomBoom 9:34AM (2/18/2009)
Any examples of those "nice looking cars"?
I'm not a huge fan of the design but it is as good as the Prius.
noz 5:13PM (2/18/2009)
Well...for a start, I think Honda could have hybridized their Fit and gotten even more demand for the car. It's already a fantastic platform, far more practical, and already existing.
Honda could have drawn their designs from other manufacturers like Alfa, Renault, etc...they all make good looking cars that can be hybrids. This car is just hideous.
And I have to disagree...the latest Prius is a much better looking vehicle. This thing looks like it's got a huge add-on tail.
diffrunt 7:38AM (2/18/2009)
amazing! 2 Insights for the price of 1 Volt !
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