Honda Japan has announced that they will cease production of the Honda Insight hybrid model. The decision was made after Honda waved the white flag to the Toyota Prius in the battle of hybrid vehicle sales.
The spokeswoman for Honda has told the media that “Honda informed dealers in November that the current generation of the Insight will be discontinued this month and asked them to stop taking orders.” It is unknown if there will be a new model to replace the Insight, but it seems very likely that Honda will rely on the hybrid version of the new Honda Jazz/Fit to march on.
The Insight was the first hybrid vehicle in the US market when Honda introduced it in 1999, seven months earlier than the Prius. Last year Honda sold 280,629 Insights globally, of which 157,275 were sold in Japan. Last year, sales in the US were dismal; the Insight was the second worst selling Honda car, with only 4,802 units finding new homes.
The second generation Insight made its worldwide debut in 2009 and was introduced to the Malaysian market in late 2010. With changes on the NAP structure this year in which there won’t be anymore tax exemption for imported hybrid vehicles, it looks like the end is near for the Insight model in Malaysia too.
[Source: Bloomberg]
