Not #1

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Nikko508

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So I just read a report that said the clarity is not the #1 PHEV anymore. And honda is moving there focus to California for the clarity. I guess the clarity is dropping off the charts and not selling very well.
Whats everyone's thoughts on this.
 
Selling very well in CA.
That's why Honda decided to stock all the US versions in CA.

California has the highest fuel prices, charging infrastructure, ZEV status, and state/local rebates which makes getting a Clarity the most sense.
OR is second popular state to get the Clarity.
It's a shame that they don't sell well in the other 48 states...
 
Well, it makes sense that it's not selling well, it's hardly advertised and when I tried to purchase one earlier this year, my state and 4+ surrounding states had none in stock (Pacific Northwest - states are big out here). Had to order from across the country and get it shipped in, most car buyers are not willing to go to those lengths.
 
Strike 1: Most people don’t understand or even know what a PHEV is.

Strike 2: Honda never advertised the Clarity in any meaningful way or educated their dealers.

Strike 3: Honda is only shipping them to California, so there are none on the dealer lots of the other 49 states for people to kick the tires or test drive.

You’re out!
 
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Of course it's not number one anymore, Honda just pulled it from all states but ca. A better comparison would compare sales only in California.
 
Clarity sales averaged around 1000 per month for a while. The change was made to not stock the Clarity in states outside of CA, and now, sales this past month were 400. It's not that Honda NEEDED to move cars to CA to meet demand. If that was the case, the total sales would not have gone down. That is clear. Honda could sell more Claritys if they wanted to. They don't WANT to. I believe that the most likely reason is that they don't make as much money selling them and don't make as much money servicing them.

I am really amazed that there are no longer any PHEVs that are selling in significant numbers (I guess you might call the Prius Prime numbers significant). When you have the Federal rebate of up to $7,500.00, it really brings the price down to reasonable levels. And for most states outside of the Northeast and California, the price of electricity vs. gas is a huge savings. I love the fact that I drive on electricity most of the time and don't have to worry about charging on longer trips. From a consumer side, it makes so much sense, but apparently for the carmakers, they are not attractive to sell.
 
What report? What metrics did they use to determine #1 status?

Sales? McDonalds sells a lot of burgers, but they don’t make a very good burger.
EV range? Available colors? Stopping distance? Musical sounds at parking lot speeds? Price? Number of Plug-in Hybrid badges?

If you can find one now it can be had for the price of the cheapest econo-box. Others sell more but nothing really compares.
 
Landshark said:
What report? What metrics did they use to determine #1 status?

Sales? McDonalds sells a lot of burgers, but they don’t make a very good burger.
EV range? Available colors? Stopping distance? Musical sounds at parking lot speeds? Price? Number of Plug-in Hybrid badges?

If you can find one now it can be had for the price of the cheapest econo-box. Others sell more but nothing really compares.
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I agree 100%
But on some small level I do feel a little bad that I over paid for an 2018 that if I waited a bit I could have had the 2019 possibly for less.
 
Mowcowbell said:
Don't forget Strike 4: Gas is dirt cheap in much of the country. Even the once best-selling Prius is languishing on new car lots for months.

Everyone wants the tallest truck with 45 gallon fuel tanks.
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This is the biggest reason why. It really would down to gasoline is just too cheap. If someone is paying under $40 for a fillup, they're not going to move to an better for economy car.
Thankfully battery prices continue to fall.
 
I recently saw a report that listed a total of just over 26,000 Clarities sold in the US since the PHEV was released. Hard to believe that such a low number counts as "#1" of anything...
 
Kerbe said:
I recently saw a report that listed a total of just over 26,000 Clarities sold in the US since the PHEV was released. Hard to believe that such a low number counts as "#1" of anything...
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Especially when you put it in the context of Ford selling 72,000 F-150's in a single month.
 
Well, my take is that I feel lucky that I got one when it was available (and actually even had color choices on the dealer lot). When this occurred I did not realize I was buying such a low-volume car. Obviously it's not a CRV (and actually I wish we had that option in PHEV), but it's a Honda and at the time I bought mine the dealer had 6 to choose from, and at least 4 color choices (a couple of base models and the rest touring). At the time I figured it was just a new model, not necessarily super-low volume.

After a lot of talk here and with others in person, I think the only important motivator is gas prices. If gas continues to cost $2/gal in much of the US, then the cars that are gas-alternatives are pretty much hosed. Not just Clarity. I don't want to root for higher gas prices, but if it happened that gas was averaging closer to $4/gal or more, then I think we'd see a lot more interest (and likely options).
 
When did Ford start making a PHEV F-150?

Volume doesn’t necessary equal quality. Anyone can buy a top seller. It doesn’t make it the best thing since sliced bread.

There is also plenty of $4 gas in Ca. East Coast and Pacific NW is around $3. 10 cents per kWh for electricity in Oregon plus solar on the house makes this thing pretty inexpensive to drive.

It’s #1 on my score card.
 
Landshark- I agree with you. My only mention of the car being low-volume is more related to the possibility that the car will be sold for 2-3 years and then dropped from the Honda family. I believe car manufacturers are required by law to provide parts for 10 years even if that model is discontinued.

Had I bought a Prius Prime I would not worry about my car model vanishing. I did test drive a Prius Prime but I'm a large person, and Prime felt more like a compact car to me. I don't in any way regret my purchase but I recognize that the relative scarcity of the Clarity may mean it isn't on the market for years to come.
 
Maybe, but that’s 8 years on HondaCare, 10 years on the battery, and 15 years on a bunch of parts for those of us lucky to be in a ZEV state. It’s too bad that consumers don’t see the value of this car, but I plan to drive it for 10 years and if it’s worth little to nothing at that point I guess I have to live with knowing I saved $800 or so per year on gas.
 
Nikko508 said:
dropping off the charts and not selling very well.
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Frankly, I'm not surprised. Fuel efficient vehicles (especially sedans) haven't been selling well for years; even the mighty Prius has been trending down in the USA for nearly a decade.

Put the Clarity drivetrain into the CR-V (40ish EV miles) and, better yet, the CR-H (60ish EV miles) and they couldn't keep 'em on the lot.
 
My threshold for a PHEV is 40 miles EPA battery range. My late lamented Volt was rated at 38 and got me to and from work with no gas consumed 9 months of the year.
 
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