The big news this week was a first look at Honda’s new ‘affordable’ hybrid promised to us with “no price premium” over traditional cars from rival manufacturers.
Go deeper with GlobalData
That’s still a little on the vague side but, certainly, price is an issue right now. Here in the UK, Honda Civic hatchbacks run GBP14,500 to GBP19,000 but you don’t get to step on the hybrid sedan (no hatch) ladder until GBP17,100, or over GBP19K if your fancy runs to leather and navigation. Toyota’s Auris ranges from GBP12,300 to GBP18,500 but the Prius hybrid – roughly comparable on size and cabin quality – runs from GBP17,900 to GBP20,800.
A GBP15,000 Insight hatch – bang in the middle of the five-door C-segment most popular in Europe, and nicely equipped with that reassuring ‘H’ on the grille – would surely hit a sweet spot here. It’s good to see the name revived, too. I can barely recall trying the current Civic Hybrid but, from my consumer road testing days, remember the Insight as a funny little coupe with a profile like a Black and Decker Dustbuster, a tiny luggage area over a large pile of batteries and a lot of get up and go for the engine size. Only downside: a/c quit with the petrol engine which deliberately died as often as it could, like at a red light. Since then, clever supplier boffins have developed the electrically-powered compressor and many other improvements.
It’ll be interesting to see, several generations on, what Honda’s new take is like. And there’s more to come – a sports coupe, more Civic hybrid models and a petrol-electric version of the new Jazz.
More cuts at a British luxury automaker today as Bentley takes a shift of Continental production out but ‘banks’ the hours and keeps the skilled workers on. Guys who can fit leather ‘n’ wood like that would be hard to re-recruit and retrain. Let’s just hope, that for the likes of those at Crewe – and Solihull where Land Rover is also making cuts – that this cyclical biz of ours enters uptick mode before harder decisions have to be made.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataSo, just to really cheer you up, how about $US200 a barrel oil? That’s the scenario analysts at Global Insight have been mulling over and put out a white paper. It could happen, of course. A little more niggle between Russia and former USSR satellites, OPEC twists the taps a little more towards closed, Condi pushes the ‘Iran’ button on the US missile launch console… Enjoy.
The Volvo Question also raised its head again this week as Fredrik Arp fell on his sword and Ford shifted European COO Steve O’Dell over to the hot seat in Sweden, and won’t refill the vacated post. Rumours abound – Ford insists it will maintain and develop the brand but, after getting rid of, and good prices for, Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, would you?
Enjoy your weekend,
Graeme Roberts
Deputy Editor
just-auto.com
