The Honda Insight may have outsold the Toyota Prius in April, but it still can’t seem to escape the shadow of its more renowned rival.
Research from Nielsen has found that since Honda started selling its new hybrid car, 61 per cent of people who held online discussions about it also mentioned the Prius. In contrast, a mere 27 per cent of those talking about the 2010 Toyota Prius mentioned the Honda Insight.
According to the talk, the Honda Insight’s design is “too similar to the Prius” and there is a belief that the Toyota Prius is the gold standard to which all other hybrid cars must aspire.
Despite this, the Honda Insight has earned more positive reviews than its rival. Thirty one per cent of those polled liked it, compared to 28 per cent for the Toyota model. However, the Insight also earned more negative reviews – 15 per cent compared to just seven per cent for the Prius.
Honda hopes to use the Insight’s lower price to chip away at the Toyota model’s stranglehold in the hybrid market. However, the 2010 Prius can achieve 50mpg compared to the 41mpg rating for the Insight.
