Honda Insight now $29,990 driveaway

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By Brett Davis | November 22nd, 2011

The Honda Insight, Australia’s most affordable hybrid, is now even cheaper after Honda Australia announced a special $29,990 driveaway price ahead of a minor model update expected in 2012.

The Insight went on sale in Australia in November 2010 and was previously $29,990 before on-road costs, which can add several thousand dollars to the price.

The ‘mild hybrid’ – unlike the Toyota Prius its electric motor assists the petrol engine only and never drives the front wheels alone – currently has official fuel consumption of 4.6L/100km and C02 emissions of 109g/km. Both figures are expected to improve with the facelifted Insight (pictured below) that features revised bodywork for better aerodynamics.

The 2012 Honda Insight will arrive in the local market sometime next year featuring a new front grille and bumper bar, a slimmer rear lip spoiler for improved rear vision, and a facelifted headlight design. The underbody has also been revised to increase aerodynamic efficiency by as much as two per cent.

There will be a new rear seat offering more head and leg room, and a revised dash with two centre-mounted cup holders.

Pauly

Not bad Honda. However we are still all itching to know what your going to be pricing the CR-Z at this week!

I have heard rumors of a CR-Z and a CR-Z Luxuary.

Please if you have anyone that is sain running Honda Australia, do not ask $35,000 for this car before onroad costs. It just wont sell.

Remember it costs less then the Insight overseas! so we should see the CR-Z coming in under the $29,000 mark with these new drive away prices you are offering.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/ Alborz Fallah

Folllow us on Twitter.com/car_advice as we are attending the launch on Thursday and will update with prices the second we know

Pauly

Alborz when you attend, if the pricing is stupily high can you please make it known to Honda Australia?

If they want to figure out why their cars arnt selling that would be a good start, because none of their staff clearly read any sort of Australian Motoring Media Websites to see what the public actually think.

I seriously hope its priced well. If the $35,000 rumors are to be believed, once you add on-road costs you are better off getting a Fully Speced Polo GTI, Golf GTI, XR5 Focus, etc etc etc etc.

Pot

im betting on a good 29k start , fingers crossed

http://www.autoblog.com/ UnderBrakes

NO WHERE NEAR ECONOMICAL ENOUGH AND $10K TO EXPESIVE

FAIL

Eric

Where are they built.

Heard the Thiland plant is 5 meters under water.

t.

if im not misaken, hybruds are japan made, whereas the mainstream casr like civic jazz big accord crv is thailand

K20A

Correct. All hybrids are from Japan, along with Accord Euro, Legend and Odyssey.

Civic Hatch & Type R is UK and the rest are Thailand.

t.

from these pictures, the insight doesnt look bad at all for some reason. anyone the sales figures for insight in australia?
FrugalOne

This has been $29,990 driveaway for about a month.

Sales have stalled

Its actually not a very good effort

Its still heavy on fuel, and way to expensive all things considered.

Need to be is the 3′s for a hybrid and mids $20′s driveaway

The origional spaceship was insperational, this is a poor overpriced Prius bad clone

FAIL!

t.

the prius is more expensive..

Clem

Honda Insight now $29,990 driveaway.
NOT Interested!!! UGLY CAR!!! Disagree? The Sales Result speaks everything. Why would I spend $30k for an ugly duck?

Clem

If you go to Honda Showroom, they don’t even bother to park the Honda Insight in the Showroom. The showroom is fill with Jazz, Civic, Accord Euro and Odysee. Insight were park else where somewhere no one will notice it. Even the Salesmen don’t try to sell or introduce Insight.

Pauly

The first Insight was a flop and the 2nd Gen one is also a flop.

Common Honda put some more effort into your Hybrid Drive setups. IMA doesnt cut it in a dedicated Hybrid.

IMA in theory would really suit sports cars.
Mr Gaspo

Clearly not selling. Issues for me is the dumpy styling, cheap feeling interior and the inferior IMA hybrid system. The Prius does it better and is worth the extra. Now, if Honda did a plug-in IMA for not much more money that could give you sub 3lts per 100k whilst on charge, then that would be something.

Alexander

A plug in IMA has been done aftermarket, but it’s totally not worth it, as all it does is force more electrical assist from the motor – IMA can’t run solely in EV mode like Hybrid Synergy Drive does. IMA uses a fake ‘EV’ mode where at constant speed the electric motor can drive the car while still spinning the petrol motor (albeit with no fuel firing), getting it to run like this is very hard though. HSD converted to plug in can get well into the 2l100km range as it can easily propel on true EV mode with the engine not spinning or connected to the wheels. But yes – the Prius is well worth the extra as the level of hybridisation is far higher.

Flabby Chap

Honda Aust is doing badly and yet their cars are overpriced. Their ‘sales’ are run-out sales in disguise. I am not sure how much the head of Honda Aust understands car marketing and sales in Aust as he’s from Japan.
rose

CUP HOLDERS!!!!!! WHERE DO THEY COME UP WITH THESE IDEAS. Way to go honda you time travellers
gibbut@hotmail.com

lol at people bagging its styling.

most people who know jack all about cars would think it was a prius.

it looks like it should look, when comparing it to anything else hybrid.

DangerDan

It looks like it should look??? I didnt know there was a guide to ‘ the way certain types of cars should look’… hybrid or not, it looks dumpy….meh…

TypeRDriver

Hybrid’s like prius/insight have a particular (similar) shape because it provides maximum aerodynamics. Both cars could be more aerodynamic if their boot line continued linearly… but practicality must kick in at some point

Mr Gaspo

Hey Gibbut… Why should a hybrid look awkward? The insight would have looked decent if the rear was less dumpy and the interior was more VW like. These changes would make people want it and would be a good way to overlook IMA. Given its awkward looks… I and others will only find it worthy based on how good its tech is. I guess if Honda reprices it it may just end up selling.
PhantomHamster

It looks to me like it was a concept design for a ‘car of the future’ done in the 80′s – Im sure as a kid I saw similar designs and think wow thats sooo modern…but then our family had a Camira so a shopping trolley probably looked cool to me…
Pete

We actually own a 2011 Insight, and a Jazz, and find the Insight a great car. We also test drove lots of others before buying. It gets in the high 3′s and low 4′s around town and the highest is in the mid 5′s on hills – and it already has cup holders btw!