The Honda Insight will be discontinued. The Insight, which was the first hybrid car sold in the United States by a major manufacturer, has been selling slowly and has lagged so far behind the Toyota Prius that Honda has decided to stop manufacturing the car this month.
Honda was the first major carmaker to sell a hybrid in the U.S., so it is a bit sad to see that first car discontinued, but this isn’t a sign that hybrids are a dying breed. Honda will continue selling the Accord Hybrid, Civic Hybrid and the CR-Z as well as the all electric Fit EV, so the issue is not that hybrids are under performing, it’s that the novelty has worn off and people no longer feel the need to advertise their hybrid purchase.
Honda has not officially commented on the possibility of a new Insight, according to Bloomberg. It would be nice to see a small, lightweight Insight like the original that was released in 2000 that pushes the envelope with fuel economy to the tune of 50-mpg.
