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View Full Version : Honda’s Hybrid Insight May Miss U.S. Sales Forecast


Right Lane Cruiser
06-15-2009, 08:17 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg The Insight, rated by the U.S. as getting 41 miles per gallon in city and highway driving, is priced from $19,800 to $23,100. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aJxE1OYJywWk)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Honda_Insight-II_EX2.jpgAlan Ohnsman - BLOOMBERG (http://www.bloomberg.com) - June 15, 2009

If they would just lower the price a bit this car would fly out of the showrooms! --Ed.

Honda Motor Co.’s Insight hybrid may fall 33 percent short of its U.S. sales goal as cheap fuel, the economic slump and competition from Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius undermine demand for the model.

First-year Sales of Honda’s gasoline-electric Insight, which debuted at U.S. dealerships in late March, may be between 50,000 and 60,000 units, John Mendel, the company’s U.S. executive vice president, said in a June 11 interview at Honda’s U.S. headquarters in Torrance. “I don’t think we’ll get to 90,000,” he said.

Gasoline prices in the U.S. have fallen 35 percent over the past year, eroding demand for fuel-efficient cars, even as the overall market has plunged 37 percent due to the recession. Toyota has cut the base price of the Prius by $1,000 to compete with the Insight

“Sales of hybrids have a strong correlation to gasoline prices, especially in the U.S. and Toyota’s Prius has had more customers in the past, so it’s a tough competition for Honda,” said Koji Endo, an analyst at Credit Suisse Securities (Japan) Ltd.

The lower-than-expected demand in the U.S. contrasts with sales of the car in Japan where fuel prices are 78 percent higher than in the U.S. The Insight was the top-selling car in Japan in April and was overtaken by the Prius last month.

Honda fell 1.6 percent to 2,795 yen at the 3 p.m. close of Tokyo Stock Exchange trading. The shares have... http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aJxE1OYJywWk

xcel
06-15-2009, 09:54 AM
Hi Sean:

___Alan is not even close at just 33% short. If current sales levels continue, the 2010 Insight-II will be lucky to see 30,000 units sold in the US through its first calendar year which is 66% below initial forecasts. Honda must know it was priced too high and we know it is priced to high. $17K to start and they will blow through 100,000 units without breaking a sweat. $20K for the base and Insight-II’s are sitting on the lots :ccry:

___I wonder why they are waiting to repair the inconsistency?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

RichXKU
06-15-2009, 10:29 AM
I love the Insight but it's hard to justify (cost wise) even at $4.00/gal

My conservatively driven (but not hypermiled) real-world-Fit gets roughly 42 MPG average all year (So lets say 40). I would assume an Insight-II driven the same way would be around 48 MPG (lets say 50).
At $4.00/gal you'd save only $2,000 over 100,000 miles, not enough to cover the spread.
(And I'd be adding in the cost of renting / borrowing a larger vehicle several times to carry things that would have fit in the Fit but not the Insight.)

Using the combined EPA numbers (no one gets mileage that bad) would be a $3,148 difference at $4.00/gal



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