Having lived in Europe and the US I can safely say that they talk a big talk here but in reality they actually consume 3 or more times the natural resources of any other people group except maybe the Saudis.

I ran a little experiment a few months ago.
Without qualification I asked people I knew if they were ‘eco-minded’, and if they were actively living in an ‘eco-responsible’ manner. I made sure I used the lame ‘eco’ terminology because liberals love to make up meaningless words.

So, what did I find?
Everyone I polled said the same thing, “Oh yes, we are very concerned, blah blah, global catastrophe, blah blah, do my part, etc, etc…”
Fine.
Now the kicker: Every one of them drives a f***ing enormous 9mpg behemoth SUV. They’re liars and they don’t even see it. My boss thinks she needs a Cadillac Escalade to drive her kids to soccer practice. My coworker bought a 25′ long suburban for no reason whatsoever.
They’re utterly clueless and won’t ever change unless forced to. That’s why I want fuel to go to $8 a gallon soooo badly.

Almost 20 years ago Suzuki realized a small, light, car could be made and sold inexpensively in the US, without needing a hybrid drivetrain, and still return fuel mileage of close to 50 mpg. Of course I’m referring to the Suzuki Swift/Geo Metro.

Preferring to spend less on cars in the first place, as they are generally depriciating assets, I would welcome a modern version of the Swift/Metro: small, light, and affordable.

Too bad for me that auto manufacturers have no interest in selling such cars in the USA. Prohibitions of current US government requirements not withstanding, many such “kei” cars are readily available from various manufacturers in the Asian market.

A three-wheeled version of Asia’s kei cars, would be an easy way for manufacturers to offer these kei car variants in the US, and circumvent US government regulations, as three-wheelers are classified as motorcycles.

Having spent the last 20+ years in the US car business, I am fully aware that there is a large untapped US market segment for small, inexpensive, fuel efficient cars. Too bad that the auto manufacturers by and large choose to disregard this segment of the buying public.

Can I say if this story is correct it will be great news in expanding the hybrid market beyond where it is today. I actually see sub compact hybrids being a huge hit in N. America only if they receive 50mpg+
& have enough power/ acceleration for normal interstate driving.

One last thought, I can understand from a car manufactures point of view that you want to develop a hybrid brand before applying tech to other fleet vehicles so that when more options come along consumers don’t abandon a Prius b/c a hybrid Yaris is cheaper & may get similar mpgs. And at first the new generation Prius was a bit of a yawner but considering the improved power it was actually a smarter decision to focus on improving hp instead of mpgs so when a hybrid Yaris comes out they don’t compete for the same type of drivers or say driving experience.

In my opinion, the $19,800 base price has hurt the Insight. Especially when the average Prius goes for less than $3,000 more. If it had been priced at $17,500 as originally stated, the Insight would be a no-brainer for anyone looking for a compact.

I think people who have hybrids enjoy being able to drive on electric power alone because it’s cool (this is my opinion as a FFH owner and frequent Prius renter). Honda simply doesn’t have the “right” technology for the US market.

In my opinion (and only time will tell), Honda will never have a popular US hybrid until it develops a full hybrid system that offers an “EV” experience.