[Rick]

Well, I waited and waited and waited for Honda to update their web site for the 05 Insight. And as soon as they did I went in and had them send me a 05 Insight brochure as I do every year. So I just received mine today, and I don’t even call it a brochure, it’s more of a facts sheet now. It has a picture of the front half of a red one on one side, then the back has some other very small interior and dash pictures, and there’s a list of specs also.

But man am I disappointed in them. The earliest one I have is a 02 one which is a nice multi page packet which explains how the car works and everything and gets you excited about it. Then the 04 one went to a small 4 page one, which was still ok and at least showed the new interior.

 

[Rick Reece]

My wife and I stopped at the autoshow last week. The Honda area had the Civic and Accord hybrids as well as their other models but no Insight. As we were leaving the area the Honda rep asked if he could answer any questions. I replied No Insight and he countered that the Civic and Accord hybrids were better. I just said not in mpg. They did have a book that had pictures and specifications of the Insight just not the car. It makes me wonder if they are ever going to put the higher power density batteries in the Insight. Have fun, Rick

 

[b1shmu63]

In Canada we have a combined 12 page brochure showing and describing the complete Honda hybrid line. There do not appear to be separate brochures for the different models.

When the Insight first came out it had its own brochure, but then there were no other hybrids to show.

 

[Chris]

Well, I waited and waited and waited for Honda to update their web site for the 05 Insight. And as soon as they did I went in and had them send me a 05 Insight brochure as I do every year.

Yeah me too, I was waiting and waiting for them to udate there site, and finally they did. Yeah I ordered the 2005 Honda Insight Broshure from them, but I have not gotten it in the mail yet, but from the sounds of it, I don't think I will really be wanting it anymore, I mean I though it was going to be like the 2004 Broshure, but I guess not.

 

[stoner]

The honda.co.uk website has a nice section for the Insight - with a Flash animation about IMA, prices and specs etc.

However, when I asked at a local dealer about a brochure he had nothing and said I would find it very difficult to even buy a new car as he didn't know of anywhere that would sell one!

 

[Scott]

I just got my Insight "brochure" that I requested from their website and it is indeed a 1 page glossy informational sheet. Just the basic info and specs. Very dissappointing...... :?

 

[ElectricTroy]

Honda does not need to advertise. They sell every Insight they build. So advertising would be a waste of money.

troy

 

[Chris]

They sell every Insight they build.

Well of course they sell every car they build (Insight in general) In my area if you want a Insight you either order it or, well you just don't get one. I have never seen any Insights at any of the Honda Dealers in my area, have any of YOU seen any Insights at your local Honda Dealers? I cannot believe it, The 2005 Insight has already come out and I have not even seen one at my Honda Dealer, let alone one on the road, I have yet to see one. That is just pathetic, and Honda wonders why no one buys the Insight, because they don't even promote it or even try to show it off or anything, If they were to put one out at a Dealer, such as in my area, so alot of people who drove by could see it, and see what kind of mileage the car can really get then I would think that alot more people would buy one (or am I just missing something here?). I see more Toyota Priuses than Insights, I just don't get why it is that Honda has a commercial for every other Honda car but the Insight (I have not seen one hybrid commercial with just the Insight in it on my TV), Honda was really pushing forward in the Hybrid Industry and they were putting there hybrid engines in other cars of there’s to improve performance, I mean what has happened to Honda now, are they starting to slip up or fall in the business or what? (mabey it is just me, but I think that other Motor Car Businesses that are starting to make hybrids, are going to start taking over Honda, like Lexus or Toyota, But I would like to know what you all think on that.) I would like to know, on an average week, how many Insights do any of you Insight Owner see on your area, or on the road?

 

[originalbadbob]

When I was trying to decide if I would buy an Insight, I went to the local dealer here in Spartanburg, SC to see one, and the lot lizard that hit me up first told me that "those are a different breed and we don't carry them, but be glad to order one for you". Their service department has that same mentality as well. I said that maybe you could sell more if you had a couple on hand so people could try one on and he basically said they weren't interested.
I wasn't going to buy a new one anyway, but didn't tell them that.

Robert
(I have one now in spite of them)

 

[b1shmu63]

Come on Chris, really now. I don't recall seeing adverts for Preludes either or NSXs. I don't see TV adverts for Ferrari, Lamborgini, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Viper, or any other expensive or low production car. The Insight is not the Big Mac of the auto world. Even the Prius is not getting a lot of promotion. They are selling themselves. Anyone that really wants an Insight can get one. I drove 80 miles and bought mine without a test drive! Sure the salesman tried to put me into a "real " car, but after an hour I managed to tell him more about the Insight than he ever wanted to know. The Insight is not for the common man but for the connoisseur and that is how it should be.

 

[originalbadbob]

I agree that the insight is not for the common man, and hybrid or high mileage technology probably won't catch on until gas is in short and expensive supply. I do believe that the hybrids that fit a more common profile will sell better than the insight. I, for the most part, like having a car that is not the cookie cutter vehicle you see everyone else driving. I am also really enjoying my 70+mpg commute mileage up from 23mpg.
robert

 

[Chris]

I don't recall seeing adverts for Preludes either or NSXs. I don't see TV adverts for Ferrari, Lamborgini, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Viper, or any other expensive or low production car. The Insight is not the Big Mac of the auto world.

Yeah I agree with you on that.

 

[ElectricTroy]

Back in 2000/2001/2002 Honda built thousands of Insights.

They sat on dealer lots & collected dust.

I got mine for only $13,000 new, because the dealer had *10* of them & was sick of seeing them gather dust.



So stop blaming Honda. Honda advertised the Insight, and built thousands of them back in 2000-2002.

Blame the customers, for not buying the car.

troy

 

[Chris]

So stop blaming Honda. Honda advertised the Insight, and built thousands of them back in 2000-2002.

Blame the customers, for not buying the car.

That don't make sense it is Honda to blame, it is there product.

 

[ElectricTroy]

Right. Honda should give all their salespeople GUNS to force customers to buy Insights. That would increase sales.

/end sarcasm

Look. Just because Honda advertises & builds thousands of Insights does NOT mean people will buy them. The flop of 2000-2002 demonstrates that. Dealers had insights collecting dust.

troy

 

[b1shmu63]

1. Unfortunately commissioned sales people have to eat. :wink: There is less profit margin on hybrids.

2. Mechanics actually need training to work on hybrids. (they aren't gods) Training costs money and takes time.

3. Customers have personal preferences. That is why there are so many different cars. As in marriage, logic has little to do with it..

4. Herd instinct drives many fine folk. They want what their neighbor values. Insight drivers tend to travel to the beat of a different drum.

5. The Insight was first and best for fuel efficiency but is not optimized for profitability. Like the man who lost a nickel on every hot dog but made it up on volume, there is no monetary incentive for Honda to produce large quantities.

Bottom line - I thank God they designed the Insight and kept the cost reasonable so that about 10,000 of us can enjoy ownership.

 

[Chris]

Well, I waited and waited and waited for Honda to update their web site for the 05 Insight. And as soon as they did I went in and had them send me a 05 Insight brochure as I do every year.

Yeah I just got my Honda Insight Broshure today, and I am very dissipointed in it. It is nothing more than a 1 page fact sheet like you all said. I liked the 2004 Honda Insight Broshure way better, now that was actually a booklet.

 

[AZCivic]

I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact they literally sell 600 times as many Civics as Insights. It's a sad decline, but I think the only reason Honda keeps the Insight for sale is so they can continue to have this sort of footnote designation as selling the most fuel efficient car in America. I'm pretty sure that's why they still sell the natural gas Civic GX; that car wins them the cleanest car sold in America award every year also.

 

[VifferMike]

And there you have it. Honda builds the Insight -- and has always built the Insight -- as a showcase car: a technology platform to wrap marketing, engineering reputation and future-model sales around (read: Civic and Accord Hybrid, possibly the new hybrid NS-X rumored to be under development). Honda's always thinking about the future, folks, and the Insight was meant to be a taste of what the motoring future could bring (and what Honda believed it would bring) to the high-volume consumer market.

This is the same reason large motor companies get involved in racing. Hundreds of millions in R&D and testing is spent by any big maker to race competitive cars in a major series. For F1, which Honda nearly dominated until about three years ago, the outlay is probably in the billions. Why? To develop new technologies, yes, but the big reason is to win races, which has always been the best marketing tool an automaker can have. With the Insight, Honda has won two races: to sell the first hybrid car in the U.S., and to have the most fuel-efficient car in the U.S. Honda will try it's darndest to keep the latter distinction until it believes it's not important anymore.

The motorcycle I own is another example of this: the VFR. My 2002 model has VTEC (the first production motorcycle to have variable valve actuation) and a number of other state-of-the-art goodies. The V4 engine was a revolutionary race engine when it was first developed. Now the VFR is a sport-tourer and one of the most technologically advanced bikes on the road. But only about 1,000 are sold in the U.S. every year. Why does Honda still sell it? As a display platform (the next VFR is rumored to have a derivation of the V5 enging currently used in MotoGP, the world's top bike-racing circuit) and because they still sell well in Europe, where motorcycling is both much more popular and more accepted (ditto diesel engines in cars, until the new EC emissions standards go into effect in 2007. Diesel cars will largely die out after that).

Honda isn't making money with the Insight. Now. It will in the years to come with the second-, third- and fourth-generation hybrids to come.

 

[The Citrus Smoothie]

(ditto diesel engines in cars, until the new EC emissions standards go into effect in 2007. Diesel cars will largely die out after that)

Great post VifferMike, with plenty of good points. The only one I disagree with is quoted above. New generation commonrail diesel engines are usually Euro IV compliant and often have lower CO2 emissions than their petrol cousins. Diesel particulate filters and other new exhaust technologies are becoming increasingly common, so I do not foresee any reduction in European diesel sales in the near future.