xcel
03-21-2009, 01:00 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg “The Insight could steal a lot of Toyota’s thunder.” (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/business/21hybrid.html?ref=business)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Honda_Insight-II_EX2.jpgHiroko Tabuchi – NY Times (nytimes.com) – Mar. 20, 2009
2010 Honda Insight-II - < $22,000 well equipped and 41 mpgUS combined on the 08 EPA.
Anything selling well in a recession is doing extremely well and should worry its competitors. -- Ed.
Tokyo - The road is about to get a little more crowded for the Toyota Prius. Starting Tuesday, the Honda will offer American consumers what it bills as “the world’s first affordable hybrid.”
If the Insight’s introduction in Japan is any indication, Toyota should be worried. The car went on sale here on Feb. 6, and orders have soared, reaching 18,000 in just the first three weeks — topping Prius’s current sales. In fact, the Insight pushed Prius out of the top-10-selling cars for February.
“I have people asking about hybrids that I never had before,” said Tsuguhito Tokita, a Honda dealer in Tokyo. “With this price, it’s easy to recommend to anyone.” ...
Toyota plans to lower the sticker price of the Prius, according to Japan’s largest business daily, Nikkei. The automaker has refused to confirm the report.
“But I can tell you we’re not satisfied with the current state,” said Paul Nolasco, a Tokyo spokesman for Toyota, which has sold one million Prius vehicles since their introduction a decade ago. “The Insight’s popularity is evidence that the public is recognizing hybrid technology.” ...
Instead of the more complicated hybrid system used in the Prius, the Insight’s main source of power is a lightweight gasoline engine that is assisted by smaller batteries. That greatly reduces manufacturing costs, but gives the Insight lower fuel efficiency than the Prius — 43 miles per gallon on the highway compared with 45 miles per gallon for the Prius. The Insight also shares parts with other Honda models, which helps the carmaker keep costs to a minimum.
Honda has also struck a chord with an overhaul of the car’s shape. One reason its previous hybrids failed to take off, analysts say, was that they did not come in distinctive shapes… http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/business/21hybrid.html?ref=business
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2010_Honda_Insight-II_EX2.jpgHiroko Tabuchi – NY Times (nytimes.com) – Mar. 20, 2009
2010 Honda Insight-II - < $22,000 well equipped and 41 mpgUS combined on the 08 EPA.
Anything selling well in a recession is doing extremely well and should worry its competitors. -- Ed.
Tokyo - The road is about to get a little more crowded for the Toyota Prius. Starting Tuesday, the Honda will offer American consumers what it bills as “the world’s first affordable hybrid.”
If the Insight’s introduction in Japan is any indication, Toyota should be worried. The car went on sale here on Feb. 6, and orders have soared, reaching 18,000 in just the first three weeks — topping Prius’s current sales. In fact, the Insight pushed Prius out of the top-10-selling cars for February.
“I have people asking about hybrids that I never had before,” said Tsuguhito Tokita, a Honda dealer in Tokyo. “With this price, it’s easy to recommend to anyone.” ...
Toyota plans to lower the sticker price of the Prius, according to Japan’s largest business daily, Nikkei. The automaker has refused to confirm the report.
“But I can tell you we’re not satisfied with the current state,” said Paul Nolasco, a Tokyo spokesman for Toyota, which has sold one million Prius vehicles since their introduction a decade ago. “The Insight’s popularity is evidence that the public is recognizing hybrid technology.” ...
Instead of the more complicated hybrid system used in the Prius, the Insight’s main source of power is a lightweight gasoline engine that is assisted by smaller batteries. That greatly reduces manufacturing costs, but gives the Insight lower fuel efficiency than the Prius — 43 miles per gallon on the highway compared with 45 miles per gallon for the Prius. The Insight also shares parts with other Honda models, which helps the carmaker keep costs to a minimum.
Honda has also struck a chord with an overhaul of the car’s shape. One reason its previous hybrids failed to take off, analysts say, was that they did not come in distinctive shapes… http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/business/21hybrid.html?ref=business