[andrew28]

https://www.autonews.com/design/redesigned-insight-lure-sedan-buyers

This article was written around Christmas last year but I recently read about it. It includes some interesting things about the 2019 Honda Insight which I will list below...

• Kimiyoshi Teratani, Honda operating officer in charge of Japan operations, said the third-generation Insight embodies driving feel and good design in one package. "Fuel economy, driving and design — we have sought to strike the right balance among these three elements at high levels," he said.
• In the U.S., the model is targeted at younger users with no families to drive around.
• But in Japan, the Insight is pitched to people in their 40s and 50s who are more familiar with driving sedans, Teratani said.
• Teratani acknowledged that the overall sedan segment is shrinking at home, but he said customers now have more diverse choices in the sedan segment.
• "The new Insight is neither an ordinary sedan nor an ordinary environmentally friendly vehicle," he said. "I think this is more like a luxury sports-car-type model."
• Honda is targeting Insight sales of 12,000 units a year in Japan and hopes to sell more than 20,000 vehicles a year in North America.

This kinds of explain the difference in price and design of the Japanese Insight vs American Insight. The target market is different and usually younger buyers don't have as much money as people in their 40s -50s. So they needed to meet a certain price point and cut some options on the American Insight. Still grateful that we got the essential things that the Japanese Insight have for less money. Also Honda seems likely to beat the goal they set for the American Insight because they sold 18,010 of them as of March 2019. The 3rd gen Insight went on sale 6/29/2018 so they still have a few more months to go.


Honda Will Soon Be Building EVs and More Hybrids in Ohio

• Big H is temporarily stopping the second shift at its Marysville, Ohio, plant to retool for hybrids and battery-electric cars. The change is slated to begin in August.
• While Honda hasn’t formally announced any new models, the company is clear that it will add hybrid powertrains to more of its current vehicles.

Honda just announced they're reducing production of the 10th gen Accord last week. I think they will bring the Japanese Hybrid CRV using the same 3rd generation hybrid system as the Insight over here.

 

[J. Bond]

Andrew, nice summary!

Appreciate the heads up and solid takeaways. Wish they'd think about the older U.S. buyers, too! The Insight's not just for millennials or Gen Xers or whatever the target audience is!

Bring over some of the Japanese Insight features!