Honda Prepares to Kill the Insight

2014 Honda Insight (Credit: © Honda)

It’s official: the Honda Insight is meeting its maker. Honda had decided to bring the funky hybrid car to the end of its life, winding down production this summer. The last of the Insights will be sold off by the end of the year, clearing out dealer stock. If you are interested in becoming an Insight owner, MSRP starts out at only $18,725. They are also pretty fuel efficient at 41/44/42 city/highway/combined as estimated by the EPA.

Honda first introduced the Insight hybrid hatchback back in 2009. While the model has not been met with the same enthusiasm other hybrids have, the company has used it to introduce its ECO Assist system, which provides drivers with feedback about how fuel efficient their driving habits are by changing the color of the display.

Lest anyone think this means Honda is shying away from hybrid vehicles, the automaker has also announced that within the next three to four years it will be rolling out several new hybrid models. The new hybrids will use the Earth Dreams Technology powertrains that have begun launching in select models, plus the vehicle will make sues of Hondas new two-motor hybrid system. The two-motor setup first appeared in the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-in Hybrid and is also now used in the 2014 Accord Hybrid, which achieves even better fuel economy than the Insight with a 50 mpg city estimate. The new hybrid powertrain configuration promises not only excellent fuel economy butt also heightened performance, like the setup in the 2014 RLX Sport Hybrid. Honda is betting that this new hybrid strategy will give it a sales boost in the U.S. car market, but only time will tell what the outcome will be.