Honda: Hybrids For Bigger Cars Now That Insight Is Going Away

by John Voelcker www.greencarreports.com


Scrambling to do a bit of damage control after news broke last month that production of its Insight hybrid will end this year, Honda issued a press release touting its renewed commitment to hybrid technology.

The death of the Insight model begged the question, what about the tiny two-seat CR-Z hybrid hatchback?

2012 Honda CR-Z

And, for that matter, what about the Civic Hybrid sedan too, now in its third generation but still saddled with Honda's aging mild-hybrid system?

In response to a question from Green Car Reports, Honda said only that there are "no production changes" to the CR-Z and Civic Hybrid models at this time.

Meanwhile, the replacement for Honda's 15-year-old Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) mild-hybrid system, known in Japan as i-DCD (for intelligent Direct Clutch Drive), will apparently not come to the U.S. in either of the two vehicles it's fitted to in Japan.

Those are the new 2015 Honda Fit and the subcompact crossover known as the Honda Vezel, which may be renamed for the U.S. before it goes on sale this summer or fall.

Both are subcompacts, and in the U.S., the gas savings from the i-DCD system are not likely to be offset by the cost of the new system, which has a more powerful 22-kilowatt (30-horsepower) electric motor sandwiched between the cars' 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and a seven-speed direct-shift gearbox.

2014 Honda Insight

But back to that Honda press release.

It says that Honda has committed to the expansion of its hybrid offerings in the U.S.

Specifically, Honda is "reinforcing its commitment to a clear product strategy focused on further advancing fuel-efficient and alternative-fuel vehicle technologies that are better aligned with customer needs and that strengthen the company's U.S. sales momentum."

Translated, that means that customers weren't that interested in its mild hybrids, and the company will instead focus in the U.S. on the new two-motor hybrid system launched in the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid and Accord Plug-In Hybrid.

Supplies of the Accord Hybrid have been limited as production ramps up at the Ohio factory where it's built (though the low-volume plug-in hybrid is imported from Japan).

But unlike subcompacts, where Honda had the field to itself before the launch of the 2012 Toyota Prius C--which trounced the Insight in sales--the new Accord Hybrid competes in a well-established segment: mid-size hybrid sedans.

The segment was pioneered in 2006 by the Toyota Camry Hybrid, joined in 2010 by the Ford Fusion Hybrid. Both those cars are now in their second generation, and were joined in 2011 by the Hyundai iSonata Hybrid and Kia Optima Hybrid--both of which were updated for 2013 to improve the drive quality of their hybrid systems.

In other words, Honda is going to the heart of the market with its new hybrid technology--which now gives full-hybrid capabilities, including all-electric running under light loads.

2014 Honda Civic Hybrid

What Honda hasn't addressed, however, is whether that system--or its new, smaller i-DCD system--could appear in an updated version of its well-established Civic Hybrid.

The Civic is a compact sedan, not a subcompact like the Insight, CR-Z, and 2015 Fit, and the hybrid Civic starts at $25,435 (including the mandatory delivery fee).

That's $10,000 above some subcompact prices, and it makes us think that the Civic Hybrid could justify the added cost of a new and more powerful system.

And the company has said that the Accord won't be the only vehicle to use the new two-motor hybrid system, specifically citing "expanded applications" of the system in its release.

Which begs a question of its own: Might we also see a hybrid Pilot crossover or, perhaps even more attractive to families (judging from our comments), a hybrid Odyssey minivan?

Honda's not commenting on those possibilities either.

But if or when it does, you'll read it here.

Source;
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1090694_honda-hybrids-for-bigger-cars-now-that-insight-is-going-away

Ward's Auto: Honda Insight Doomed From Start

The Insight was too small when it needed to be big, too fuel-efficient when it wasn't necessary, not around when people cared about fuel economy and not fuel-efficient enough when they sort of did.

by Christie Schweinsberg of www.wardsauto.com

News that Honda has killed its second-generation Insight begs the question why it is so darn tough for an automaker known for its green-ness to sell a hybrid.

The Insight, famously, was the first gas-electric hybrid sold in the U.S., arriving in December 1999, seven months ahead of Toyota’s first-generation Prius.

While the car boasted eye-popping fuel economy, 70 mpg (3.4 L/100 km) highway – an all-time record for certification from the EPA – the price of regular unleaded in the U.S. that month was only $1.25-$1.26, equivalent to $1.76-$1.77 today.

That wasn’t stinging enough to motivate Americans to abandon the giant SUVs they were so in love with in the late 1990s.

The extra-high mileage largely was due to the tiny proportions of the original Insight, which could accommodate just two passengers.

Cargo-carrying ability also was woefully lacking, and in its first year only a manual transmission was offered, because Americans love to row their own gears – not.

First-generation Insight sales hit their zenith in 2001, with 4,276 sold, WardsAuto data shows. Toyota Prius deliveries that same year totaled 15,556.

And Prius sales only got stronger, surpassing 20,000 in 2002 and 24,000 in 2003.

By 2004, the first full year on the market for the game-changing, second-generation Prius, deliveries of the Toyota hybrid hit 53,991.

The next year Prius sales doubled. You know the rest.

Honda waited too long to answer back to the bigger, but still-awfully-darn-fuel-efficient Prius. The automaker let the Insight languish on the market in the mid-2000s, and sales fell below 1,000 units per year.
Honda finally pulled the plug on the car in 2006, announcing a second-generation model would arrive…in 2009.

Yes, it was a ridiculously long wait, and Honda missed a golden opportunity to market the hybrid to Americans in the summer of 2008, when an historic gas-price spike saw regular unleaded soar to $4 per gallon.

It didn’t help matters that when the Insight arrived in spring 2009 so did the third-generation Prius. Many news stories and auto reviews compared the cars, and the Insight, rightfully, came out looking the worse of the two.

While Honda had corrected a lot of the wrongs of the first-gen Insight, mainly by growing it into a 5-seater with generous cargo room, the car still was smaller than the Prius and it still used Honda’s less-competitive mild-hybrid Integrated Motor Assist system.

Honda claimed the Insight could run on electric-power-only in certain circumstances but few reviewers, including yours truly, ever witnessed that.

Second-gen Insight fuel economy, estimated at 40/43 mpg (5.8-5.4 L/100 km) city/highway, underperformed the bigger, third-gen Prius’ 50/49 mpg (4.7-4.8 L/100 km) ratings.

So, to summarize, the Insight was too small when it needed to be big, too fuel-efficient when it wasn’t necessary, not around when Americans gave a damn about fuel economy and not fuel-efficient enough when they sort of did.

But one thing I’ve learned covering Honda is that it is a tenacious company. I fully expect a new dedicated hybrid from them, this time with the automaker’s new full-hybrid system found in the ’14 Accord Hybrid.

Will it still be called Insight? I don’t have any, er, insight on that but I vote no. It represents too many failed attempts.

Source;
http://wardsauto.com/blog/honda-insight-doomed-start

Honda Insight Hybrid To Be Canned By 2015?

by Anthony Ingram of www.greencarreports.com

Honda's Insight has never enjoyed the success of the Toyota Prius or even Honda's own Civic Hybrid, and it looks like the writing is now finally on the wall for the budget hybrid hatchback.

According to Autoblog Green, sources within the company have revealed that some preparation procedures normally associated with a new model launch--such as preparing advertising materials--are not taking place. It suggests that Honda doesn't intend to extend the Insight into the 2015 model year.

Few will shed a tear at this news, though it does leave a gap at the lower end of the hybrid market. Despite the Insight's compact body, it's actually the cheapest hybrid vehicle on sale--undercutting the Toyota Prius C by a small margin and significantly undercutting Honda's own Civic Hybrid.

At the same time, the Insight has never really enjoyed the sales success of Toyota's hybrids. While admirably efficient in real-world driving its 42 mpg combined economy rating doesn't really stand out, and its 1.3-liter Integrated Motor Assist hybrid drivetrain offers only modest performance.

Honda itself has neither confirmed nor denied the rumors, but it wouldn't come as a shock if Honda does pull the plug.

Last year, we described the Insight as the "forgotten hybrid"--with low sales since its introduction in 2009, scraping 20,000 units in its first two years and little over 15,000 in 2011. In 2012, the model sold just 22,440 units globally--one seventeenth the number of Prius sold worldwide despite a much lower price tag.
It looks unlikely Honda will bring an Insight replacement to the U.S. either, even if it produces one for other markets.

That gap could instead be filled by the next-generation Honda Fit Hybrid, a car we drove in Japan last month. The Insight is based on the previous Fit's floorpan, and it's likely a future model would use the new Fit's underpinnings.

The Fit has always sold better than the Insight--moving nearly 50,000 units last year and as many as 79,000 in 2008--so it makes much more sense to import that model, rather than try another Insight. Whether Honda will or not is a different matter...

Source;
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088943_honda-insight-hybrid-to-be-canned-by-2015