Honda sells 2,096 Insight hybrids in April, Prius sales drop 61.5%
2010 Honda Insight - Click above for high-res gallery
April U.S. auto sales numbers came out today, and Honda reports it sold 2,096 Honda Insights. That's a far cry from the 5,000 Insights that the company sold in Japan in the car's first week. Guess the pent-up demand for the Prius-alternative was stronger back home than here in the U.S. Or maybe the 478 Insights that were available at launch at the end of March were not enough and dampened enthusiasm? Whatever the reason, Honda expects big things from the little hybrid. Honda increased Insight production rates, and the company says it will be ready with 200,000 units a year, with half that expected to come to the U.S.
One surprise: the Civic hybrid outsold the new Insight, 3,361 to 2,096. The Accord hybrid came in dead last with zero sales in April 2009. Overall, Honda's sales dropped 24.5 percent compared to April 2008.
On the Toyota side of the fence, Prius sales for dropped 61.5 percent in April compared to April 2008. With a new model coming very soon, ToMoCo was still able to move 8,385 units last month. Overall, Toyota and Lexus sold 12,223 hybrid vehicles in April. We'll have a post on the domestic hybrids up in a bit. (UPDATE: Available here.)
[Source: Toyota, Detroit Free Press, Honda via AllCarsElectric]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brent 1:26AM (5/02/2009)
Doesn't the sales dropping by 61.5% kinda indicate people are waiting on the next gen and not just disinterested?
I myself avoided last years prius and waited on the next gen.
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Snowdog 6:56PM (5/01/2009)
That makes sense. If I was in the market for a Prius. I would be waiting for the 2010 which is better in every way. Better looking (I actually like its looks), faster, more spacious, better fuel economy further simplifications (accessory belt free now). I would need a couple thousand off the old Prius to even consider it at this point.
I am a dedicated manual shifter but still part of me wants a 2010 Prius (must resist dark side).
andrew 9:43PM (5/01/2009)
wait for the production CR-X from honda then!!! It will have a manual transmission... Honda's CEO said so!
Nixon 7:22PM (5/01/2009)
Also, more and more folks who would have bought a hybrid are holding out to see what happens in 2011-14 when all sorts of car makers say they will be selling some sort of electric something or another. It is going to cut into hybrid sales.
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jpm 8:51PM (5/01/2009)
Count me as one of those folks.
Rick 5:33PM (5/05/2009)
I'm one as well. Why buy a hybrid now, when in 1-3 years, I could potentially own a fully electric vehicle?
Joseph 10:18PM (5/01/2009)
The reason no Honda Accord hybrids were sold is because HONDA DOESN'T MAKE THEM ANYMORE!!!
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Michael 9:26PM (5/01/2009)
Keep in mind this is the first real month of sales for the Insight. They probably sold every Insight delivered, but it's hard to tell. A good way to tell would be days to sell, but again, with it being the first real month, that would be hard to judge.
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Paul 7:43AM (5/02/2009)
What is it with the misrepresented titles?
A 61.5% drop from the same month last year as fuel prices reached all time record highs (and no doubt Prius sales also set new records.)
Put the facts in context.
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Russ Finley 11:22PM (5/02/2009)
Took this picture with my cell phone of an Insight I spotted a few days ago:
http://biodiversivist.blogspot.com/2009/04/first-sighting-of-new-honda-insight.html
The Prius will one day be seen as the car that started the ball rolling away from dependence on the internal combustion engine.
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Ralphie 2:29PM (5/04/2009)
How about a clean diesel hybrid?
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Chad 3:27PM (5/04/2009)
If you're hoping for electric cars in 2011-14 then you'd best be spending all your free time lobbying for new power plants and transmission lines. Our existing infrastructure can barely handle the load now and certainly won't handle even a small percentage of electric cars getting onto the road.
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lowmilelude 4:01PM (5/04/2009)
"The Accord hybrid came in dead last with zero sales in April 2009"
Um. That's because it's no longer made?
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