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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Japanese_Flag_30x22.jpg "Insight's still an excellent value. It appeals to customers who didn't consider a hybrid before." (http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090427/NEWS05/904270302/1064)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/prius_-_3_gen.gifJames R. Healey - The Shreveport Times (http://www.shreveporttimes.com) - April 27, 2009

Both of these vehicles have their strengths and a place in customer's garages. --Ed.

Toyota effectively declared war Tuesday when it announced that the price for its gasoline-electric 2010 Prius hybrid will be just $1,280 more than the Honda Insight hybrid.
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Prius is bigger, faster and more fuel-efficient, and has a broader array of options.

The 2010 Insight, which gets up to 43 miles per gallon, went on sale March 24.

The 2010 Prius, rated at up to 51 mpg, goes on sale in late May.

Toyota's aggressive move underscores how vicious the auto market has become as car companies try to hold their own in a recession-wounded new-vehicle market.

First-quarter U.S. sales for all brands were down 38.4 percent from a year earlier, according to industry-tracker Autodata. For all of 2008, sales were off 18 percent.

Toyota sales in the first quarter, including the luxury Lexus brand, were down 37.1 percent. Honda sales, including Acura, were off 34.5 percent.

Honda spokesman Sage Marie noted that Toyota gave no details about the cheapest Prius, which will start at $21,750, but elaborated on more-expensive versions.

Marie says that suggests to him that it might be a showroom rarity and that a pricier $22,750 mid-level Prius might be the... http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20090427/NEWS05/904270302/1064

i saw an Insight-II in my neighborhood over the weekend. For a moment, I thought it actually *was* a Prius until I saw the "H" in the front instead of the orthogonal ovals.

Saw one last week. Looked less "new" and unfamiliar than I expected too.

Hopefully this will prompt Honda to compete on price and offer some incentives as the model year wears on.

And in any event, my preference would still be for the I-II over the Prius if I were in the market for a new car. The Prius may be bigger, faster and slightly more FE (in town, anyway), but the I-II handles better (as do nearly all Hondas vs. their nearest Toyota competition) and doesn't have overprotective traction control that may strand it unnecessarily. For me those are bigger pluses than those of the Prius. And $1280 cheaper is still $1280 cheaper.