Having already planned to yank it from Europe, Honda reportedly now will soon end production of its Insight hybrid this month.
The current five-door hatchback model is still listed on the Honda UK website and the nameplate made history by being the first hybrid vehicle introduced in the US in 1999, seven months before its ultimate nemesis, Toyota’s Prius.
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A Honda spokeswoman in Japan told Bloomberg News the automaker informed dealers in November the current generation Insight would be discontinued this month and asked them to stop taking orders. She declined to comment on whether there would be a new version of the model.
Bloomberg noted the Prius went on to become the best selling dual powered car of all time, with cumulative sales of 3.19m vehicles as of January, according to its maker.
Honda delivered a cumulative 280,629 Insights globally as of the end of last year, with most – 157,275 – sold in Japan. US sales of the model plunged 18% to 4,802 last year, making it the second-worst selling car in the Honda range, behind only the CR-Z hybrid, according to Autodata.
Honda began this month with 237 days worth of supply of the Insight, according to Automotive News Data Center, almost four times the 60-day inventory that automakers generally consider to be ideal in the US market.
The original, three-door, two seat Insight ran until in 2006 and the nameplate was revived in 2009 for a five-seat, five-door hatchback.
That was criticised here in Europe for its ‘plasticky’ interior and a revised cabin, with darker and better quality materials, was introduced later.
Honda’s integrated motor assist, or IMA, hybrid technology is simpler than that in the Prius. The automaker has been introducing a new, more complex drivetrain design with more flexible, independent electric operation and this is available for the new Jazz/Fit line, though its introduction into Europe has not yet been confirmed.
