"The Insight was too small when it needed to be big, too fuel-efficient when it wasn't necessary, not around when people cared about fuel economy and not fuel-efficient enough when they sort of did."
"The Insight, famously, was the first gas-electric hybrid sold in the U.S., arriving in December 1999, seven months ahead of Toyota’s first-generation Prius.
While the car boasted eye-popping fuel economy, 70 mpg (3.4 L/100 km) highway – an all-time record for certification from the EPA – the price of regular unleaded in the U.S. that month was only $1.25-$1.26, equivalent to $1.76-$1.77 today.
Cargo-carrying ability also was woefully lacking, and in its first year only a manual transmission was offered, because Americans love to row their own gears – not.
Honda finally pulled the plug on the car in 2006, announcing a second-generation model would arrive…in 2009.
Yes, it was a ridiculously long wait, and Honda missed a golden opportunity to market the hybrid to Americans in the summer of 2008, when an historic gas-price spike saw regular unleaded soar to $4 per gallon."
