Honda Insight terminated
Slow global sales of Honda's hybrid have forced the company to axe the Prius rivalThe Honda Insight petrol-electric hybrid car has been axed following slow sales.
The last Honda Insight will roll off the production line in Japan at the end February 2014, marking the end of era for the company’s pin-up hybrid car.
In 2013, the Honda Insight ($26,990) recorded a total of 175 sales, or roughly 14 sales per month. That's down from 223 sales in 2012 and 715 the year before that.
Sales of the car in the USA and Europe have likewise been slow, with just 1242 sold in the EU last year and total US sales of 4802.
The vast majority of Insight sales were recorded in Japan, the car claiming the honour of top-selling vehicle in April 2009.
Since its inception in 1999, the Honda Insight has found just over 280,000 owners, the vast majority of which were sold in Japan -- 157,275.
Meanwhile, the Toyota Prius hybrid has sold almost 3.2 million vehicles worldwide.
The Honda Insight is powered by two sources: a 1.3-litre petrol engine and an electric motor, and claims fuel consumption as low as 4.3L/100km.
It's unlikely the car will replaced any time soon, with Honda Australia's public relations assistant manager, Naomi Rebeschini, explaining that "There's nothing we're aware of".
The Honda CR-Z ($38,490) shares many components with the Insight and will continue to be manufactured by the Japanese company, despite being discontinued in the US and Europe.
"The CR-Z will continue to be offered in Australia," said Rebeschini, despite sales of that car totalling just 58 units in 2013, down from 370 the year prior.
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