U.S. hybrid price war preview: Insight takes lowest hybrid price crown in UK
Click above for a gallery of the new Honda Insight
When the new Honda Insight and third-generation Toyota Prius go on sale in the U.S. later this year, there will be a bit of battle to see if the lower-priced Insight can topple the third-generation Prius from the top hybrid spot. Now that pricing for the Insight has been announced, we can see a preview of that match-up brewing in the UK, and Honda is staking it's claim for the "most affordable hybrid" title. The Insight will start at £15,490, and go up from there to £18,390. The entry-level Insight SE CVT will cost £2,380 less than its nearest rival, which is, you guessed it, the second-generation Prius T3 CVT. We can vouch that the Insight is capable of 60+ mpg, too. We'll have to see how many miles we can squeak from the 2010 Prius when we get our chance behind the wheel soon. See more details from Honda after the jump.
[Source: Honda]
PRESS RELEASE:
NEW INSIGHT IS UK'S MOST AFFORDABLE HYBRID
Final pricing announced for low-emission 5-door hatch
* Entry-level car priced £2,380 less than nearest rival
* Range starts at £15,490 (OTR) for the SE grade
* High-spec Insight ES priced at £16,790 (OTR)
Pricing for the all-new Insight has been announced, making it the most affordable hybrid on the market, and one of the lowest-priced 'green' cars.
The entry level SE model is available from £15,490 (OTR), appealing directly to C-sector customers looking for a practical, economical family hatch with low-emissions.
The Insight SE, with CO2 emissions of 101g/km and combined economy of 64.2mpg, offers an excellent value-for-money specification with 15-inch alloy wheels, climate control air conditioning, electric folding door mirrors, front and rear electric windows, steering wheel audio controls and VSA as standard.
The generously-equipped ES grade is expected to be the best seller. Priced from £16,790 (OTR) it includes the following kit, over and above the SE grade: 16-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, cruise control, front fog lights, heated front seats, leather steering wheel and gear knob, paddle shift, privacy glass and USB port for MP3 players.
Hands Free Telephone and DVD Satellite Navigation come as standard on the £18,390 (OTR) ES-T model; a high specification car that's likely to prove popular in the fleet market.
Consumer perceptions
Honda's own research has found that most drivers think hybrids are more expensive and in the past this has stopped them adopting the cleaner engine technology.
In our most recent public survey, of those who wouldn't consider a hybrid vehicle, 40 per cent said price is the main reason they're put off.
For most drivers, hybrid cars have been viewed as an expensive alternative to petrol and diesel models, seen as a status symbol. The Insight – and its lower price position – will make hybrid technology available to more people, including car buyers who would never have considered a hybrid before.
|
Model |
Price (OTR)* |
|
Insight SE CVT |
£15,490 |
|
Prius T3 CVT |
£17,870 |
|
Golf 1.6 S Auto |
£15,816 |
|
Focus Econetic Man |
£17,345 |
|
Civic Hybrid ES CVT |
£17,492 |
|
Insight ES CVT |
£16,790 |
|
Prius T4 CVT |
£18,655 |
|
Golf 1.4 SE TSI Auto |
£17,332 |
|
Focus 1.6 Zetec Auto |
£17,595 |
|
Civic Hybrid ES with leather CVT |
£18,372 |
|
Insight ES-T CVT |
£18,390 |
|
Prius T-Spirit CVT |
£20,710 |
|
Golf 1.4 SE TSI Auto |
£17,332 |
|
Focus 1.6 Titanium Auto |
£18,595 |
|
Civic Hybrid EX CVT |
£19,972 |
*Prices current at 20 Feb 09
Running cost savings
In addition to its lower on-the-road price, the Insight offers many running cost savings, too, including reduced road tax (just £15 per year), low company car tax, congestion charge exemption and of course, fewer trips to the filling station.
Company cars
The Insight's low emissions mean it qualifies for the lowest BIK tax bracket of 10 per cent and 100 per cent write down allowance. Combined with its lower price point, these bonuses mean it should appear on more company car fleet lists.
For the companies themselves, not only will the balance sheets benefit from all the savings that retail customers enjoy but by taking a fleet of Insights on board, they can also make a strong environmental statement about their business.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
stas peterson 9:37AM (2/26/2009)
If any other car maker offered a mild hybrid as its prime offering, they would be laughed out of the marketplace. But Hondaphiles worship the brand and cover up for the fact that this a pretty miserable hybrid, It is no wonder that it is cheap.
Much, Much too much, Ado about Nothing!!
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alexacoon 10:41PM (3/09/2009)
A miserable hybrid? Just how do you come up with that? Everything I've read about it so far claims far better handling and nearly identical performance to a Prius and most importantly real world mileage thats as good if not better. For such a lower price I doubt few if any would save enough fuel to ever make up the difference.
A Prius *might* be a better choice for someone whose primary driving is in the city with lots of stop and go, for the rest I doubt they could do better than the Honda.
Stan Peterson 1:35PM (3/10/2009)
It is a tiny micro-compact,only slightly bigger than the original too tiny Insight. With little room and fair mileage as a mild hybrid for such a tiny vehicle. If people wanted to buy pregant roller skates there are plenty with lower prices, by almost half, with only a few miles per gallon difference.
So I stand by my statement. If it were not for Hondaphiles, worshiping the brand with eyes blinkered, it would be laughed at as an offering.
Phil 2:07PM (2/24/2009)
They don't mention that the more popular ES grade raises the CO2 to from 101 g/km (better than a Prius) to 105 g/km (worse than a Prius) and drops mpg to 61.4 (UK).
It would be interesting to know what the reason is. I suspect the bigger 16" wheels are mostly to blame, which is pretty stupid of Honda. How much extra weight can cruise control and heated seats add?
Perhaps the 15" wheels should be an option on the ES?
Its daft that the buyer has to choose between economy or creature comforts.
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Dustin 12:25PM (2/25/2009)
The wheels could play a large part, yes. Not only are the 16" wheels heavier (unsprung weight and rotational inertia), but they also increase the tire width from 175 to 185 (friction and drag). This requires more energy from the powertrain to propel.
However, adding options costs Honda money. That cost is either eaten by Honda (bad business decision) or passed onto the customers (regardless of whether they choose the option or not), and raising the price defeats this car's goal. Regardless, what you think of as Honda's "stupidity" has been lauded by others as a great thing. I've heard many compliments on the UK 16" wheels greatly improving the looks of the entire car and many complaints by U.S. customers that we don't get such a feature. Ultimately Honda made the right choice in the UK by upgrading the wheels for the higher model. If the customers are really concerned about the 1g/km that they lose out compared to the Prius, they can surely find another Insight or Jazz owner with 15" wheels who would be glad to swap straight up.
The ES will likely weigh approximately 22kg more than the SE.
As far as economy vs creature comforts, that's the way it has to be within a given price range. Everything is a compromise. You pick what's most important to you (economy, features, and money) and you make a decision. You can always step up to a Civic Hybrid (similar economy, more features, more money), a Prius (better economy, more features, more money), a Fisker Karma (excellent economy and every feature, lots and lots of money), etc...
The Insight is what is it is, and it's a great product. Let's not bash it simply because it's not ALL things to ALL people.
Phil 3:00AM (2/26/2009)
What?
A car whose raison d'etre is good fuel economy has a 4% increase in consumption because of a purely cosmetic reason?
It's not the right decision, it's stupid. It's a triumph of the marketing department over the engineers.
At a time when even mainstream manufacturers are fitting low rolling resistance tyres that save a few %, Honda saddle what should be their most efficient vehicle with big wheels. Perhaps a dealer would be able to arrange a free swap with an SE buyer who doesn't realise they will burn 4% more gas.
For what its worth, I already own a Civic Hybrid. I want an Insight because it has a more practical hatchback, looks better and is cheaper. Like most hybrid drivers, I could easily afford a thirstier car, but instead take pleasure from knowing that I am consuming less gas. It would annoy the hell out of me driving an Insight, knowing that I am burning half a tank of gas a year more just because some marketing numpty at Honda thought that 16" wheels look nicer than 15".
jharlan 3:06PM (2/24/2009)
Kudos to Honda. The market will reward those who provide what the people need. Criticizing this design is suspect of having an axe to grind.
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Chris M 4:46PM (2/24/2009)
It isn't too suprising that the Insight is less than other hybrids, the real suprise is it undercuts the Focus Econetic and Golf, while offering much better fuel economy than either one!
I do believe Honda has a potential winner. Now if only it had a plug-in option...
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Rich 12:51PM (2/25/2009)
...if only they had a (bio)diesel option.
Howard R 2:27PM (2/25/2009)
I think some of the options on the UK models would be good to have. However, most of them are not going to be available in the USA. I think gas mileage between the LX and ES will be identical in the USA. The only thing will be minor accessories. Sorry. I don't think the UK cars bother me personally.
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