Honda Insight a Prius copycat but makes dollars and sense

I've mistaken the Honda Insight hybrid for a Toyota Prius -- it looks very similar, is about the same size, and is a hybrid. It's only been on the market for about two years and has done fairly well in sales lately as gas prices rise, but it does look like a Prius copycat. Given that opinion, how do they compare?

The Insight offers a combined mpg of 41, and an MSRP of $19,800. The Prius goes 50 mpg and has an MSRP of $22,800. So $3,000 more for nine more miles per gallon. That means if you drive 15,000 miles per year, you would need 300 gallons to fuel the Prius that distance, and about 366 to power the Insight. If gas is $4 a gallon, that means you'd be paying $264 dollars per year more to gas up the Insight compared to the Prius. That would take 11 years for the prices to even out with manufacturer suggested retail prices.

Gas will be going up over $4 a gallon nationally, and has already done so in California. So that time span will probably be much shorter. There are other things to consider for long-term ownership of these cars -- maintenance and repairs, durability and reliability, how long the battery lasts and what it costs to replace it, etc. So the Insight seems to make dollars and sense. But, do you like it enough? If you're really into the Prius, it would be a tough choice.

Correct Name for Growing Prius Family

When you're talking about the growing Prius family -- plans include 7 passenger Prius V and compact Prius C Concept -- don't say Prius, say Prii. Toyota got public feedback on how to pluralize the famous brand name now that there's going to be one version of it. And coming up with this could help the brand marketing as buzz abounds over the new word. 

Results were announced at the Chicago Auto Show, and voting was kicked off January 10th at the Detroit Auto Show. It went so well that Dictionary.com added the new word to its Prius listing. So it is now official. 

Would You Buy a Fuel Cell Version of the Prius?

According to industry coverage, Toyota is unveiling the Prius V, a wagon-type model larger than the current version, at the North American International Auto Show. This, plus a concept version of what the 4th version of the classic Prius might look like.

All of this, and the plug-in version of the Prius is now being tested at universities, government fleets, and other limited markets for awhile until all kinks are worked out and it's ready for mass market.

This makes me think of the mysterious Toyota fuel cell car that's supposed to come out in five years. Perhaps that will be a fuel cell edition of the Prius? That's what I would do if I were a decision maker at Toyota. The company is counting on the Prius brand being considered the greenest of the green cars, and will be offering several different versions of the Prius, as if it's becoming its very own brand almost separate and distinct from Toyota - similar to Toyota's Scion and Lexus brands.