Honda Clarity was hit with the ugly stick...but net cost over looks!

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by LaCucaracha, Aug 26, 2018.

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  1. RickSE

    RickSE Active Member

    Talked to three different people at work today and none of them had ever heard of the clarity. Honda just isn’t advertising this car. When I was shopping only one dealer out of the four I visited even had one anywhere close to where a shopper could see it. Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, but I’ll take my incentive money and free charging at work to the bank!
     
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  3. neal adkins

    neal adkins Active Member

    The Civic looks like something from Mars imho. The clarity is not just a first generation phev. From what I have learned on this forum it has much of the proven technology of the accord hybrid. I think we picked a good time to roll the dice on this one. Honda has been making hybrid vehicles for around 20 years and have risen to the top on this one. Awesome car and great value.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2018
  4. ABex

    ABex New Member


    How did you locate a White Clarity with black interior? All the ones I have found in white have the beige interior- which is a no-go for me!
     
  5. chris5168

    chris5168 Member

    Answer: Canada, we ‘suffer’ with beige interior with white exterior.
     
    Last edited: Oct 22, 2018
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  6. V8Power

    V8Power Active Member

    Our Canadian white Clarity came with black interior and the brochure shows that too.
     
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  8. dnb

    dnb Active Member

    Yeah I really liked the dark interior as well over beige. I was glad that there weren't lots of options on the clarity, but dark interior + lighter exterior would have been good :). Didn't realize that Canada lucked out. I ended up with black/black because the dealer didn't have any more of the dark grey left.
     
  9. Rajiv Vaidyanathan

    Rajiv Vaidyanathan Active Member

    None of the auto places I've taken it to have heard of this car. Not the tire place and not the mechanic who rotated my tires.

    Heck, when I call my local dealership for a service, I ahve to repeat the name three times. The receptionist at the Honda dealership that sold me the car said, "Wow, I've never heard of the Honda Clarity."

    Bizarre.
     
  10. Industrial

    Industrial New Member

    Nobody around me has ever seen or heard of my car either.

    Me personally, I like the way the car looks. Black on black, it looks like some kind of futuristic caddy from any front angle. Admittedly the back and rear 3/4 is a bit ugly. The accord is gorgeous from every angle but it came down to whether an accord hybrid touring was worth $6000 more than a clarity touring. Which is just insane to me.
     
  11. DVoran

    DVoran Member

    I’m thinking the bottom line is determining the publicity. If Honda is like most companies, each “brand” is in its own silo. The problem with PHEV’s is they are money losers for the company as they are probably priced below their actual cost. Think about it. Not only do they have to bear the cost of an ICE and a BEV but they have to have some pretty sophisticated software and transmission engineering to switch efficiently between the two power modes. My guess is the more they sell the less they make, ergo the soft sell or “no” sell.


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  13. SThomas219

    SThomas219 Active Member

    Here in Syracuse (NY), one Honda dealership has sold a bunch. They are leasing them super cheap with 10% down on MSRP then take the federal and state ($1,700 for Clarity) to lower the lease cost. Got mine for $125/month. I see a few driving around the area. Hard not to see the DRL's on this car. I describe its looks as one only an owner could love. :D

    Hoping after the 3yr/36K lease runs its course, I will have more options for alternative fuel transportation.
     
  14. dnb

    dnb Active Member

    Wow only $125/month?? Thats super cheap. Are you factoring in other things to get that low or is that your actual payment? How much down?
     
  15. SThomas219

    SThomas219 Active Member

    $3K at signing (the percentage I referred to) plus another $600 for taxes, DMV, plates, etc. I declined all the dealer stuff like sealant, FOB replacement and one I never heard of where they would "pop out" any dents incurred over the lease. Just wanted the $125/month. I figured the gas I put in the vehicle it is replacing came to about $150 a month. Should be about a wash on my bottom line.

    They have been advertising the deal on TV, online and newspapers all month. Had to take delivery of a Base Clarity PHEV from dealer stock or, in my case, one en route to the dealer by the end of October (2018). Will pick up the car tonight as it came in over the weekend.
     
  16. dnb

    dnb Active Member

    Awesome! East coast seems to have way better deals than west. Here it is just under $300 per month with $3k down.
     
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  17. petteyg359

    petteyg359 Well-Known Member

    And in return we all shake our heads in disgust and pity for you. There's a reason you got the county/state/federal incentive rebates, and it's not because people's backyard compost piles are decomposing.
     
  18. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Careful, don't get pulled into a silly argument with someone who calls themselves LaCucaracha. That's Mexican for troll (OK, I know it isn't, but it's close).
     
  19. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Today's Autoweek newsletter lists "The Coolest 25-Year-Old Cars You Can Import Into the United States in 2019." The third car on the list is the 1994 Maserati Quattroporte 2.8. I noted something familiar in Marcello Gandini's design for this exotic Italian car:

    upload_2019-1-3_11-55-34.png

    Then I recalled Gandini's most famous design, the groundbreaking 1974 supercar, the Lamborghini Countach LP-400:

    upload_2019-1-3_12-4-16.png

    Marcello Gandini is only 80 years old. Could he have consulted with Honda on the design of the Clarity?
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2019
  20. Linkmodo

    Linkmodo Member

    I found cockroaches rather pretty in appearance and I often observe them grooming themselves excessively so I know they are clean animals. If I ever found one roaming inside my house, I would carefully pick them up and hold them in my hand and transfer them outside so they can strive.

    On the other hand, I found clarity rather good looking and amazing for city commute. I think it looks better than my old 15' accord V6 or my wife's new mustang, or my Z1000 (which I sold alone with my accord to get my beautiful Clarity)
     
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  21. David Towle

    David Towle Well-Known Member

    Gandini copied the rear wheel spat from a humble economy car, the Citroen GS Break, which was first sold in Sept. 1971. Of course that's not generally uncommon in the auto industry, but going from an economy car to a supercar probably is unusual. Of course this was also a groundbreaking car but in different ways.

    Here's mine which although its a 1983 still has the same body lines.

    IMG_3724.jpg
     
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  22. David Towle

    David Towle Well-Known Member

    I should have mentioned the GS designs were from the pen of Robert Opron, a designer who should be better known than he is.
     
  23. KentuckyKen

    KentuckyKen Well-Known Member

    I hate to rain on the automotive artist’s parade, but the rear wheel covers or spats or whatever you call them are there for aerodynamics and not stylistic beauty.

    The only way the Clarity works is because of its aerodynamics, light weight (yes I know it’s a 2 ton car, but it could be worse), and regenerative braking. It’s a very involved and complicated calculation and trade off between all the factors of weight, engine size, battery capacity and cost, overall price, etc. Not to mention designing one platform for BEV, FC, and PHEV.
    Thankfully for all of us, Honda got it right.

    And if that takes having covers on the rear wheels, then I don’t mind. Personally, the Clarity is growing on me visually. I think it looks quite sleek and very unsedan like. As I’ve posted earlier, the Prius says beat me up and take my lunch while the Clarity says come fly with me. I also like that it is still unique and I have one of the very few on road here in coal country.
     
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