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Taking the Insight, and this blog, to the "Limits"

Well, this is it, our final Insight blog post. It?s been quite a journey?from Paris to L.A. to Detroit, and beyond. The 2010 Insight was most recently seen in Austin at the Austin City Limits (ACL) music festival October 2?4. Festival-goers lined up for the fun in the Honda Eco Zone where they got to know the Insight inside and out, and also took home some fun ?swag? like Honda water bottles and reusable bags. Even rain did not deter fans from collecting recyclables and turning them in for Honda rewards as they rocked out in this carbon-neutral venue. And it paid off big time for Nehal Sanghavi from Austin, Texas, the lucky winner of a brand-new 2010 Insight. Thanks for following us on our fuel-efficient travels and we hope you?re ready to keep driving in your own Insight. Don?t be strangers, now?keep us posted on your Insight experiences on our Insight Facebook page! ?Your friends at Honda, Christina, Sage, Dave, Will and Kiko.

Green on the Music Scene

Music lovers and planet enthusiasts alike gathered from August 7?9 in Chicago's Grant Park for the Lollapalooza Music Festival. The 2010 Insight was there, too, proudly participating in the "Rock & Recycle" program in the Honda Eco Zone on Green Street. "Lollapalooza has had a recycling component over the past five years in Chicago, but this year has far surpassed all other years on so many levels," commented Jody Goode, Lollapalooza Greening Director. The Honda Eco Zone was completely solar powered using two photovoltaic elements aimed to a Southern exposure, plus most of the building materials for the zone were selected purposely to be reusable or recyclable. "The display looked great and we felt like a majority of the fans at the display were genuinely interested in the hybrid technology and were open to learning more about the Insight," said Vanessa Diaz, Honda Product Specialist. Participants entered a contest to win an Insight and other instant-win prizes by earning Green Card stamps for doing "green" things at the festival. Thousands of eco-prizes were awarded by Honda and the Lollapalooza Rock & Recycle team, but the lucky winner of the keys to a 2010 Insight was Richard Hasenmyer from Houston, TX. Congratulations, Richard! Thanks to all the music fans who helped make the festival a success. Hope to see you all at Austin City Limits in October! ?Christina

Insight in the News

In the PR business you have to take your lumps every once in a while. The occasional bad review is not only expected, it?s pretty much inevitable. One notable example is the recent Consumer Reports review of the Insight, which essentially is the reason I felt compelled to write this post. Keeping things in perspective, one bad review doesn?t have to spoil the whole bunch. In fact, since the Insight launch, the media reaction and product reviews have been overwhelmingly positive?exceeding even our own expectations. According to a recent analysis by the company that does our media monitoring, since the Insight debuted at the Detroit auto show, there have been 1,124 positive stories, 207 neutral stories, and only 12 negative stories?a favorable mix for sure. Additionally, Insight has won hybrid comparison tests in major automotive enthusiast publications, including Car and Driver, Motor Trend, and Automobile. It has done so based on fuel economy that consistently exceeds expectations, engaging driving dynamics that separate it from other hybrids, and the unique hybrid value proposition created by its low cost. The Consumer Reports review?one of the few less-than-positive ones?was a biggie though. Unfortunately, the whole matter became more visible when they aggressively publicized the review with a press release containing a headline and a quote from their chief of auto testing that were apparently designed to be more sensational than the review. No doubt, they have a sharp PR staff that deserves credit for recognizing that there can be more news value in a negative review of an important and highly visible car than there is in a positive one. I should be clear that we have a lot of respect for the publication. In fact, our research suggests that the demographics of CR readers very closely mirror those of Honda customers. A Honda customer is very likely to be a CR reader and vice versa, so more often than not this has played to our favor. However in this case, I have to respectfully offer an alternative viewpoint. We designed the Insight to deliver sporty handling with a fun-to-drive hybrid character that would create an engaging experience for the driver. While they criticize Insight?s handling dynamics, we contend that we hit our targets and that Insight?s handling is one of its competitive advantages. In support of this, we can cite opinions from major, well-respected automotive publications that directly contradict those issued by Consumer Reports: Car and Driver "The Insight drives like a Honda, with tight suspension motions, a firm ride, well-connected steering, and a no-fat musculature. Interior sound levels are mild and well controlled, especially at freeway speeds." Motor Trend "Is Honda's new Insight Hybrid merely a 7/8th-size Prius that delivers 7/8ths the fuel economy? No, the Insight is, quite simply, more fun to drive." "Honda worked hard to make the Insight the driver's choice. There is a hollow stiffness to the chassis, but the overall sensation is road feel, not harshness. Steering is light and precise, and the Insight changes direction happily without keeling over as the Prius is wont to do. Throttle and brake response are smoother too: Powertrain engineers focused on keeping the pedal feel and position consistent with the performance of the CVT and brake-regeneration system." Automobile "Both the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal have a natural feel and feedback, with none of the weird surging and artificialness that we?ve seen in some hybrids. The powertrain itself provides linear, predictable power. The electric steering is a bit dead on-center, but then it tightens up nicely. Body control and ride quality are impressive, especially given the fact that the Insight rides on skinny, low-resistance tires to maximize fuel economy." While Consumer Reports' opinion is highly visible, it?s ultimately only the opinion of their editors, and it?s in the minority. I?d like to propose that you take a test drive and judge for yourself. --Sage

Fun with Cargo

When people discuss the subject of smaller cars, they often say, ?I?d like to get a small car, but?? Most often, ?but? is often followed by concerns about limited cargo space, and how those limitations may inhibit recreation, shopping and work. The Insight has far fewer cargo limitations than you might think. If you take a look at the specs of the 2010 Insight, you?ll see that it has 15.9 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded up, and 31.5 cubic feet with the seats folded down. But what does that mean in the real world? The Insight can carry things like mountain bikes, snowboards, surfboards and other bulky items that otherwise wouldn?t fit in a smaller car. With its wide rear door access, the Insight?s space is useful. Outdoorsy folks will be surprised by how much gear the Insight can carry, and shoppers might exhaust themselves before overloading the Insight.

Clearing up Hybrid Cost Analysis Myths

It seems that there?s been a little confusion out there regarding the price/value equation between the 2010 Insight and the Prius that I?d like to clear up. Recently, I saw a post claiming the price difference between the two cars equipped ?as customers want? is only 700 dollars more for the Prius. This was based on an MSRP of 21,300 for an Insight EX, and of $22,000 for a 2010 Prius II, which currently is the least expensive 2010 Prius available. According to the Power Information Network (PIN), an affiliate of J.D. Power and Associates, the average transaction price of the 2010 Insight in June* was $21,526, while it was $26,436 for the 2010 Prius. ?Average transaction price? is the average price paid for a car, including, transportation charges, options and accessories, but not including taxes or fees. So, in this case Prius buyers are paying $4,910 more for the keys to a Prius equipped ?as customers want.? Generally speaking, the difference will grow even bigger when sales tax is applied. In the world of entry-level vehicles, hybrids or otherwise, $5000 is a big gap, and while it?s inevitable that there will be cross shopping between the two cars, we think this suggests that they will continue to attract different buyers. Like the numbers above provided by PIN, third-party evaluations are a very helpful tool for car shoppers. All car consumers should research sources like J.D. Power, Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book (kbb.com) to help make the right choice. In the case of the Insight?s price, the numbers speak for themselves. ?Sage *as of June 19th.

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