More specifically, Honda delivered a total of 229 units since it hit the market on April 4, compared to 198 Prius models sold by Toyota. Sure, these figures might be a bit irrelevant taking into account that we're comparing an old with a new generation but, considering that we're now living in extremely difficult economic conditions, it still proves that consumers are more attracted by Honda's flagship hybrid.
Talking about prices, the Insight is priced at £15,490 (US$22,900) in the United Kingdom while the second generation Prius begins at £18,370 (US$27,100).
Toyota announced in early April that it plans to axe Prius prices in order to meet Insight standards. Furthermore, the company is also working on several cheaper hybrids, including green version of Yaris and Auris.
"We are developing a low-priced hybrid vehicle like Honda's Insight," Akihiko Otsuka, chief engineer of the redesigned, third-generation Toyota Prius, said. "We are going to compete by expanding our hybrid-vehicle lineup to smaller hybrids, in the class of the Vitz and Yaris," he said without providing details on the official launch date.
"The Auris platform was designed so it could also carry a hybrid system," Otsuka said. "By making it flexible, it can accommodate future overseas production and reduce costs."
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