Hybrid War Heats Up in Japan

Honda's new Insight went on sale in hits homeland about a week ago, and already it's under attack. Before it hit the market, there were rumors that it would be much cheaper than the Toyota Prius. Toyota, however, has other ideas. The Insight is 1.89 million yen ($18,853 USD) in Japan, which is the same price as the current Prius. Toyota then priced the coming third generation Prius at 2.05 million yen ($20,437 USD) to keep it close to the Insight. Then Toyota said it would keep the second-generation Prius on sale in Japan, and there have been rumors that Toyota is also working on a cheaper Prius costing around 30% less than the current one. That would pit three Prius models against one Insight, all similarly priced.

In response, Honda CEO Takeo Fukui said Honda will not lower the price of the Insight. Said Fukui, "I think that is something we can't do right now. We have to carefully examine the new Prius to know whether it is necessary for us to take certain measures. We have to think about the balance between cost and effectiveness." If Toyota does come out with three Japan-market Priuses, Honda will be thinking long and hard about those issues.

Unlike Toyota, though, Honda does have the CR-Z hybrid coming, which could give Honda some sporting hybrid credentials that Toyota doesn't yet have. Honda also said it is expanding its research and hybrid push into large sedans instead of counting on clean diesels for its bigger cars. Fukui feels that clean diesels are too expensive to develop be practical.

Source;
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/03/honda-ceo-says-insight-price-wont-be-reduced-further/

Autoblog; U.S. hybrid price war preview: Insight takes lowest hybrid price crown in UK

When the new Honda Insight and third-generation Toyota Prius go on sale in the U.S. later this year, there will be a bit of battle to see if the lower-priced Insight can topple the third-generation Prius from the top hybrid spot. Now that pricing for the Insight has been announced, we can see a preview of that match-up brewing in the UK, and Honda is staking it's claim for the "most affordable hybrid" title. The Insight will start at £15,490, and go up from there to £18,390. The entry-level Insight SE CVT will cost £2,380 less than its nearest rival, which is, you guessed it, the second-generation Prius T3 CVT. We can vouch that the Insight is capable of 60+ mpg, too. We'll have to see how many miles we can squeak from the 2010 Prius when we get our chance behind the wheel soon. See more details from Honda after the jump.

Source;
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/24/u-s-hybrid-price-war-preview-insight-takes-lowest-hybrid-price/

Toyota to Sell Older Prius Along with New (more expensive) Prius to Stay Competitive with HONDA

The new Prius is expected to be more expensive than the outgoing previous generation.

Here is the upcoming Honda Insight!

Toyota bosses are in for a real shock! That’s because pictures of the new Prius hybrid have been leaked. And that’s not the only scoop – Auto Express has details of a cut-price version of the petrol-electric model, too.

Surfacing on the Internet ahead of its launch next year, these images show how the new model evolves the look of the current car with a more distinctive front end. In profile it’s near identical, but the shape is tweaked to improve aerodynamics. The new Prius is slightly larger than the outgoing car, and has a more compact hybrid powertrain, so there will be extra space for passengers and in the boot.

Under the bonnet lies a more powerful 1.8-litre engine, which works in tandem with an uprated nickel hydride battery pack. It will help the car return 75mpg combined, and emit less than 100g/km of CO2.

The latest Toyota is expected to be more expensive than the outgoing model, starting from around £20,000. However, Auto Express has learned that bosses plan to keep the current Prius on sale – and to compete with Honda’s forthcoming Insight, it will be at a new low price.

The next Insight is tipped to weigh in at less than £15,000 when it arrives here in March – undercutting the Prius by at least £3,000 for now. So, Toyota aims to tempt buyers into showrooms by marketing the current version at around the same price as its rival.

Source;

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/229797/secrets_out_on_new_prius.html

Pictures of the Next Gen Prius Leaked Online

And just for good measure I have put a pic below of the Next Gen Honda Insight Concept, and even though this is a concept, expect this to be a SHARP indication of what the production model will look like.
DETROIT — Exterior and interior images of the redesigned 2010 Toyota Prius have been posted at Priuschat.com and subsequently snapped up around the blogosphere.

Toyota spokesman Curt McAllister on Thursday morning confirmed for Inside Line the authenticity of the images, and said they were "accidentally leaked." He added, "More details at the Detroit show."

The car's formal unveiling is slated for January at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. The new Prius will face off against the Honda Insight, which was introduced last month at the Paris show and also goes on sale next year as a 2010 model. Look for the Insight to be priced from $2,000-$3,000 below the Prius.

The 2010 Prius will be fitted initially with nickel-metal-hydride batteries, but is expected to switch to lithium-ion batteries within a year or two. The car's four-cylinder gas engine is expected to get a modest bump in displacement, from 1.5 to 1.6 liters, with more power, but better fuel economy.

Inside Line says: Judging from the evolutionary styling of the new car, Toyota isn't about to mess with a winning formula. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent

Source;

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=133808#2

Honda Insight VS Toyota Prius; Jalopnik's Survey

Here's a snapshot of the results as of Oct. 02, 2008 AM.

"OK folks, now that the new Prius-fighter from Honda has officially seen the sheet dropped at the Paris Motor Show early this morning, it's time to ask the important question — which one will win? In one corner, you've got the long-time champion of the hybrid arena. In the other, the pugnacious new Honda Insight, determined to beat the Prius in at least one chart — price. With that, here's the question:" (See the above picture)

Now, before all of us Honda fans get too excited, this is only a survey, there have been many a war won on paper and lost on the battle field - both cars are good/going to be good.

Here's a link to the survey, if you'd like to partake;

http://jalopnik.com/5058334/jalopnik-paris-pissing-match-honda-insight-vs-toyota-prius

Honda’s Insight looks a lot like the Prius, but that’s just pure coincidence - Huh?

To say that the new Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius look alike is an understatement, however how's this;

Any resemblance between Hondas new Insight, set to go on sale next April, and the Toyota Prius is pure coincidence, according to Honda.

Honda plans to unveil the Insight at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show on Oct. 2 and released images of the vehicle earlier this month. Immediately, automotive publications dubbed the Insight a "Prius fighter" or "Prius killer" -- in part because its design reflects the distinctive egg-shaped Toyota Prius. But Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky disputes the comparison.

It was done that way because it was the most aerodynamic design, and we were going for fuel economy," Schifsky said.

Schifsky says that the design for the Insight was mainly influenced by the FCX Clarity. The production version of the Honda CR-Z sport hybrid car will also look similar.

Source;
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080914/BUSINESS01/809140416/1014
Orig. Source;
http://www.egmcartech.com/2008/09/15/hondas-insight-looks-a-lot-like-the-prius-but-thats-just-pure-coincidence/#more-25896

Honda Insight Sales to Begin April 2009, Only 7 Months Away

It seems like there's nothing new but Hybrid news, so here goes;

Honda surprised us all last week by giving us our first look at its upcoming Honda Insight Hybrid in concept form - which will debut to the public at the Paris Auto Show next month. But when will you see the final production version and when will it be available to purchase at a dealer near you?

Honda says that the Insight Hybrid Concept seen last week is a ‘near-production ready’ model. The five-door, five-passenger hatchback will U.S. hit showrooms in April 2009.

Honda plans on selling 200,000 units of the Insight Hybrid annually - 100,000 of which it hopes to come from the stateside. So far it is rumored that the production Insight hybrid will get near 60 mpg and will cost right below $19,000 ($22,000 here in Canada?).

They May Look the Same ....

It's hard not to think the Honda Insight hybrid and the Toyota Prius look like kissing cousins. But, while both are five-door hatches sharing similar profiles, cut lines and green-tinged halos... they've got vastly different designs. Below the jump, we've detailed seven of the literally tens of differences between the two happy hybrids. And yes, we're even including the big "H" on the front of the 2010 Honda Insight .
Difference #1: Instead of going with the stylized T, as on the Prius, the new Insight has a very defined H above the grille. This is a difference of 11 letter positions in the alphabet and a sign that Honda is the true Maverick in this race.

Difference #2: The Toyota Prius is very noticeable from the rear because of its squarer clear taillights housing red LED lights. The engineers from Honda have focused on a more angular look for their clear taillights with red LED lights.

Difference #3: Honda stepped out with some fairly trick split five-spoke wheels that look much hotter than the boring seven-spoke Prius design. We're not sure if these will make it from concept to reality.

Difference #4: The Prius has been faulted for its bland nose and utilitarian look, which Honda has countered with a more Honda CRZ-inspired front; it's more dramatic, modern and captivating in its vanilla quasi-Dave look. The design makes the new Insight look like a more expensive car than the Prius.

Difference #5: Toyota engineers love boxes and Honda deviated wildly from this path by introducing a round fuel access cover. That's change you can not only believe in, but it's change that signals the outside-the-box thinking you've come to expect from Honda.

Difference #6: As opposed to headlights that wrap upwards from a sharply curving grille, the Insight's lights curve outward from a sharply curving grille. It's so different — like apples and pears.

Difference #7: One of the features that differentiates the Prius from other cars on the road, visually, is that little window behind the A-pillar and ahead of the mirrors. The low belt-line of both of these cars necessitates such a move but Honda hides it, using a cheater panel aft of the mirror and a supporting strip behind the mirror. It's a smart design change that'll really help separate it from the crowd.

So there you have it — two totally different vehicles. No matter what your eyes tell you.

Source;
http://jalopnik.com/5045947/honda-insight-vs-toyota-prius-separated-at-birth