Quote:
Originally Posted by rolla-XRS
No point in making a Yaris Hybrid. Who would want to buy a $25k Yaris? I see the Fit Hybrid dying a horrible death (like it's predecessor Honda Hybrid) on the showroom floor when they try to ask well over $20k for something that already sips gas through a stir stick. You;d have to drive the dang thing 500k miles just to recoup your fuel costs.
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And why is it $25k? A Prius starts at $20k. What makes you think it'll be more expensive than the larger Prius with more equipment? A loaded Prius is about $28k.
And why are you talking about cost recouperation? Do you tell the person he would've needed to drive 500k in order to recoup the cost of a B200 over a Matrix? a C-Class over a Corolla? an E-Class over a Camry? No you wouldn't.
If you're talking about the Insight, it's because people don't see value added in the price. The American market is very self-centred. If they're paying for something, they want everyone to know they paid for it. Stuff like leather seats, fancy alloys, HID Xenons, navigation. Those are things that "regular" people will see and admire. "Regular" folks won't notice stuff like covered trunk hinges, hood struts, felt-lined interior door handle grip, damped overhead assist grips etc etc.
The Insight's body is an aluminium monocoque. The next car is the XJ, A8 then the NSX so it's with exquisite company. The alloys are lightweight aluminium and has a 1.0 litre lean-burn engine. The older NiMH technology didn't help but the fact that you can hit 70mpg is amazing. Too bad it's a 2 seater which made it impractical compared to the Prius although it could serve as a commuter car.
