7:52 am, February 24, 2009
HONDA’S new Insight hybrid car will cost £2380 less than the Toyota Prius, when it hits dealers in April.
The entry-level SE will cost £15,490, which is way below the cheapest Toyota Prius.
Yet it still comes with climate control, alloy wheels, ESP and all-round electric windows.
The Honda Insight ES is expected to be the top seller, though. This adds bigger alloys, cruise control, USB stereo port, front fog lights and heated front seats. It costs £16,790.
There’s also an £18,390 ES-T with sat nav and Bluetooth phone.
All prices have been pitched aggressively, as Honda’s studies show that 40 per cent of car buyers are deterred from hybrids because of their cost.
‘The Insight – and its lower price position – will make hybrid technology available to more people, including car buyers who would never have considered a hybrid before,’ said a statement.
Boasting a CO2 figure of 101g/km, the Insight returns 64.2mph from its petrol-electric hybrid powertrain. It comes as standard with an automatic CVT gearbox.
But will it be a faux pas on Honda’s part, not to sneak the CO2 figure below 100g/km? This would have given it free road tax. Then again, as the rate is only £15, the company will be figuring the extra engineering expense, and correspondingly higher prices, weren’t really worth it…
