According to a report, a total of 604 hybrid cars were sold in the country until last year following the two-year tax waiver granted for such vehicles granted until 2010 (which has since been extended to Dec 31, 2011, with 100% exemption on import and excise duties). These were made up of both Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid models.
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir told the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that in 2008, 10 units of hybrid cars were sold, while the figure rose to 267 in 2009 and 327 in 2010. With the arrival of the Honda Insight, the numbers should continue to grow, but it’s still very much a trickle when you look at things happening elsewhere.
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I would predict Honda Insight will sell like a hot cake.
war, less than 100 unit ar?
Our 1st lady some more dare to say Japan is not green enough so kena the tsunami..
Both not green enough and tsunami is irrelevent…
still, the main issue = potential battery pack failure, the price of it.
This is hybrid vehicle and not EV.
So, it runs on a combination of combustion engine and electric motors, not battery pack.
correction: the hybrid vehicles do have a battery pack built-in.
As for Toyota’s HSD system, the battery pack is much larger and can provide a higher power to drive the car. The HSD system enables hybrid cars to run on full EV mode, this is when the engine is completely off and the battery pack comes into work. Toyota’s approach is to cut on fuel comsumption, which is different from Lexus’, which is to boost performance as well as to save a bit on fuel consumption. Cars like the LS600hL and GS450h are good examples.
For Honda’s IMA system, the system doesn’t allow the car to run on full EV mode so the small battery pack only acts as a ‘supporting character’, probably providing electricity to the electronic parts like the aircond compressor etc.
For your information, Honda’s IMA does run on battery alone at level gradient within speed 40kmh. But since the motor and the combustion engine are in parallel, the rpm meter still register reading.
Infact the i-vtec valve mechanism comes with close lift to equalize pumping between cylinders.
Honestly i think IMA’s approach are more relevant compared to Toyota’s planetary for serial hybrid. IMA should be easier and cheaper to maintain should anything goes wrong. As reliable as Toyota can be, any mechanicals sure worn out and die sooner or later.
To date, IMA battery packs cost RM6.3K to replace while Toyota’s almost RM12K.
Malaysians DO NOT have the confidence in the local technicians to handle such advanced technology. Plus the unknown reliability issues that might pop up and kill your bank account. Many rather die from global warming than having to bear such fear.
LOL, but Honda already increased the warranty for the IMA battery from 3 years to 5 years. What’s the fear???
you fail to see the 9 year loan, bro..
There is no fear even for 9 year loans, the batteries should last at least 10 years.
I think it’s all those horror stories about having troubles claiming warranties, despite the shiny manufacturer promises.
Malaysians are going to build nuclear plant. what fear? ;P
i heard potong want to produce nuclear powered car ;-)
Pls make the same tax reduction to Diesel…
I feel most Malaysians are dummies when it comes to new vehicles and trends.
I’m driving around a new Sorento and most people gave their comments like, ‘Oh this is the new Hyundai’…’What car is this?’ …’Wah, 160K, Tucson only 135K’…’Korean car okay meh?’…
Paul Tan should come out with a ‘Auto guide for Dummy Malaysians’ to keep up with technologies and motor trends!
Ya and some of them like to comment about something they don’t even understand at all………
Got my Insight few days back. AP document state car price only around RM56k. Honda stab u back and front with hugeee profit (remember price RM56k already with profit and still up the price to RM98k). But when u think of Prius price of RM139k… UMW Toyota is more greedy lor.
PM Najib please do something…
Bro..dont forget about our 200% tax ok… the margin is not solid profit ok…all goes to govt
Govt say no tax…sure can believe ke? haha…
only sales tax apply for hybrid car..u tarak baca article kat atas ka? penat ja anthony karang panjang2
bro, if honda malaysia seller want to survive in malaysia,,, they have to put at 98k… do u think they can permission to sell at malaysian to sell at 60k? learn art of war, then u know why…
INSIGHT is CBU from japan .. it is tax free but not AP free .. put in the cost of AP and the AP monies goes to goverment
Anthony, r u sure the import and excise is 100% exempted? the price tag seems not promising le…but nvm…it’s not important…
The purpose of G having this exempts is to promote greener energy or more environment friendly vehicles, right?
But y not they give the privilege to the diesel machines as they are frugal too…?
SOUNDS GREAT. LOOK LIKE MALAYSIAN OR GOING GREEN. BUT TOO BAD THE CIVIC HYBIRD IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE, BECAUSE LAST WEEK I CHECK WITH HONDA SHOW ROOM IN JALAN IPOH KL. ANY 1 KNOW THE REASON?
I am still confused how the USD22K Insight and USD30K Prius can translate to RM98K and RM149K when there is no duty and only sales tax of 10%. This is probably becos demand for hybrid outstrip supply in other countries that there is no big rush to lower prices. Moreso at RM70K+ and RM95K it will undercut the City/Civic and Altis prices significantly.
No point cutting prices when there is no enough supply. With Japan out of action, Jap companies will ramp up production in overseas bases like Thailand.
I wonder does it has 2nd hand trade in value
i believe those stats could be slightly outdated? just saw 2 prius this morning at 1 traffic light. Insights starting to make a mark. or rather, just a scratch :-P
This shows how price sensitivity is important to Malaysian. But Foreign manufacture still unsure what will happen year to year cause our Government only tax waive for this yr only.
Good News for GREEN. Good if goverment introduce one special plate number start from G , example GX 2010. X – Folow the same as state now, T – Trg, D – Kel, W – Wilayah etc…
Fact is, driving conditions in Malaysia just does not justify much fuel saving. Civic Hybrid and Civic 1.8 fuel consumption are almost the same!
get prius better..
Facts? Proof plz?
the technology in prius is waaay different compared to the one in the insight.just google up this fact on the internet.
the Insight is a much smaller car compared to the more spacious prius and that by itself justifies the price difference already.
But if ure on a budget looking for a small town car to drive around that maybe the insight would be a good choice.
Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir – super Kiasu Honda Malaysia no more bring in honda civic hybrid after the price announce $108800…
if gov sincere enuf wanted to go green… should extended 100% exemption on import and excise duties for longer period… the actual 100% exemption given is just 1 yr… POORAHHHHHHHHHH
is honda insight good?
Almost definitely :].
Definitely without almost. Clocks 700km at least per tank.
total liter per full tank? my forte also clock 600km plus for full tank.
35-36 litres for the Insight (maximum capacity is 40 litres), around 47 litres for the forte?
And thats 700km is the mileage for a new engine. Some westeners have done up to 1000km per tank for a well seasoned engine…
should bring in the crz then the number of hibrid vehicle sold will boost up
For me the major let down of these hybrid cars are obviously the longevity of their batteries, although I will not drive my car until it won’t run anymore.
Like all Malaysian I share the concerns on resale value of my car and I think it is agreeable that is one of the biggest impact when selling a used car. I mean who would wanna buy a car with only 2-3 three years of life left on its battery.
Sure some car brand claim their battery can last up to 10 years but subsequent to that what gonna happen? Either you fork out money to replace the battery or sell the car cheap. Hopefully technology will give solution to this dilemma.
note: was informed Honda Insight waiting list is already 1 month, so there is some light at the end of the tunnel then…
Saw one Prius overtaking me yesterday afternoon in Bangi area. Lucky him.
But I’ll let those lucky owner be the tester or experimenter (guinea pig if you will). If no big issues@problem after a year or two then will decide whether to jump into the bandwagon or not.
One question – our mechanics, are they ready?
If the IMA system for an Insight or a Civic Hybrid breaks down, the car can still run by using the engine only, though obviously underpowered. But if the Hybrid Synergy Drive for a Prius breaks down, then the driver will surely die, as the powertrain system of the Prius is way too complicated for our normal mechanics.
not really, the IMA has the motor integrated between the engine and the gearbox, it’ll be a problem, in fact, a big one as well if it breaks down.
But one thing that you forgot to mention about the IMA motor is that the motor is connected directly to the engine without any clutch in between. If the motor is not functioning, the motor shaft will just be a “kosong” shaft. The only big concern to the motor is when there’s a breakdown that causes the motor to jam.
Kiddo you do learn but i think u can dig more….
IMA is using brushless motor, it doesnt have any mechanical contact whatsoever with the crankshaft of the engine. Infact they are maintenance free for lifetime of the engine. In the event of motor or electrical breakdown (non heard/reported so far as per 2 generation of IMA; since 1999), the engine still runs as per 1.3liter engine would. With the motor, it surge ahead as quick as normal C segment cars. Without it, might be as limping as saga 1.3.
I did my reading for problems with hybrid cars (prius, insight etc), most of euro and western consumer found the cars and the technology is reliable and can save at least 30% (floor type) of your fuel bill with equivalent conventional engine.
The problem they facing were more on the adaptability with the regen braking (felt awkward/ 2 stages of braking) and on the prius, the user interface is quite complicated, while the 2009 insight, ride was a bit bumpy. Honda did some tweaking for 2010 model and above.
the sales figure will increasing once insight and prius coming out
Hybrid is certainly a option that should be considered greatly before you buy a car. Diesel engine is a better option as well since we have a capability, through MPOB, to produce biodiesel (B5 – B100) which can be directly pumped into the engine. Petrol fuel is no longer sustainable in a long run.
Insight booking to date already hit 3k unit if my source were correct. That alone already 500% more compared to last year. Not including prius & the lexus.
Then the bad news is that Honda Malaysia was only given 4250 APs for the Insight alone, so if the booking already reaches the limit then surely die laa.
wow..what a revealing. after all the fuss about hybrid etc banyak tu je org dah beli.. ish ish ish my fellow Malaysian.. cakap banyak, kerja tak jalan2, nak macam2.. hmm perhaps current hybrid price might put it off a little.. im no fan of hybrid but im glad someone step up to save the world for me hehehehe..
My friends who bought these regretted. Should have used the money to purchase a non-hybrid with more power
they shud have bought a diesel instead if they want both power and good FC. Hybrid are known for good FC but not much power, …until diesel hybrid comes…
yup, we want “green and fast” not “green and slow”
Mind you, there are the Lexus GS450h and the LS600hL out there. :)
BMW’s own Active Hybrid 7 is another powerful hybrid beast.
He’s regret was not justified. Is he dumb for not testing the car without test drive?
Insight, the weakest hybrid currently on sale in Malaysia register 197km/h in its speedo and not taking 2 hours going up to that speed. I think its more than enough for average Malaysian. The bonus is getting 20 to 25km/liter.
With 98k to spend, what we can get is also a normal sedan with combustion engine and normal power output, normal fuel consumption (10 to 15km/liter).
At least u have stretch to 120K, u might get 308 turbo. That one… justified for ‘more power’
The battery cost is a no no!!! But who knows it’ll cost lesser in future
Many people are embracing green cars.
Though current hybrid cars are very fuel efficient relatively, but I am still not convinced the practice of pay more upfront for car for less fuel consumption, that not work in me. Unless petrol price stays high enough for long enough or hybrid car price is significantly lower.
Your phrase of “paying more upfront for car for less fuel consumption” does not apply to Malaysia as hybrid cars are tax exempted. In this scenario I would say take the risk to buy the hybrid. As for second hand value it would be a good buy if our government decides to reinstate normal taxes again. If i were in the market to buy a car an Insight would surely be in my list as their specs are much better than a Civic anytime.
Though hybrid cars consume less petroleum than conventional cars, there is still an issue regarding the environmental damage of the Hybrid car battery.
Petrol hybrid? Not going to save much petrol with it unless u can drive 70-80kph constantly every day… suitable for housewives or slow drivers.
I tot hybrid cars are most effective in urban driving?? (pickup, start, stop, and break)..
If cruising on highway, it is still using petrol like any conventional petrol cars..
Only 3 digits sales figure!!!
Maybe in 2011 it will be a lot more. People do want to embrace the green ways but perhaps we need more incentives……..do we?
Honda Insight is aint cheap and at RM 98 k on the road is expensive given its refinement level is very low.. Honda Malaysia should continue to bring in the civic hybrid which is a better car compare to insight.. Insight engine sounds worst than a bus at full acceleration and the seat is not as comfortable as a B segment car and its size is aint close . Wonder why it got rated as a B segment .Prius is an alright car but the price is high . Maybe just wait a little longer for the new civic hybrid to come which uses 1.5 IMA similar to that of CR-Z
wow!! Hybrid on the road alot already..
Please guys no more bashing or proton or TH related-butthurt BS comments
civic hybrid stop production…..too bad….
I’ve considered to buy prius… but affraid of it’s mentainance cost… i’ll buy prius if toyota willing to give 5 years or more waranty…
I’ve read somewhere that some of the first gen prius in US (10 year old cars) havent yet change their batteries, batteries tend to wear out faster if frequently exposed to sudden change in temperature (cold or hot…but especially winter cold), as long as you don’t park it alot under the hot sun, it should serve you well…
That one is in the US… in Malaysia, things are a lot different… with too many cars on the road which contributes to daily traffic jams… so of course we have too many start-stop driving conditions which will obviously cause the batteries of the hybrid cars to become kong faster.
1999 until now right? That’s 12 long years!! Some of them even traveled more than 300,000 miles (or around A WHOPPING 480,000 km) in the car.
thats the problem… we cannot always get shaded car park and we cannot avoid malaysia weather which is hot and all of sudden rains heavily… our air moisture also high that can cause faster oxidization… I think thats why we cannot get longer waranty period… -_-
Well well well ya Honda really make a huge impact by balancing cost, technology, styling, looks etc. They really made an affordable hybrid for almost everyone.
If I’m not mistaken Honda Insight sold more than 2000 here already, respect to the new owners for going green and reducing emissions. I’ve seen a lot of them on our roads already.
I’m waiting for the new Honda Civic Hybrid :)……….!!!!!!!!!!!!!
but interior is almost empty… luckily they give cd player and air cond… and power window too…
If I’m not mistaken the Honda Insight was the top seller in Japan when it was released? Not completely sure. Hybrids beating conventional cars? The day has come.
Evolution for automobiles is coming guys, conventional petrol driven automobiles is getting out-dated/obsolete so choose smart.
IN THE LAST BUDGET, NAJIB SAID 0 % TAX FOR HYBRIDS…….SO, HONDA INSIGHT SHOULD NOT COST MORE THAN RM 60K.
BUT IT IS PRICED AT 98K, IT IS NOT PROFITEERING , IT IS MORE LIKE LOOTING!
THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN IN MALAYSIA BECAUSE SYED MOKHTAR IS GIVEN THE AGENCY FOR HALF OF THE CAR MARQUES IN MALAYSIA.
BESIDE HIM ARE NAZA, VINCENT TAN AND 2-3 MORE PEOPLE. THESE PEOPLE OPERATE LIKE A CARTEL AND FLEECE EVERY PENNY OUT OF YOU.
DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR, STOP SUPPORTING THESE PIGS AND TAKE THE BUS.
I think a lot of Loser like you always give out your right and take bus silently. Sheeps :=)
IF YOU ARE FORCED TO PAY 100K FOR FOR SOMETHING WORTH 58K, YOU HAVE BEEN CHEATED OFF 42K. IN OTHER WORDS YOU “LOSE” 42K. HENCE YOU ARE A “LOSER” BECAUSE YOU “LOST” 42K. YOU COULD HAVE USED THE 42K YOU SAVED TO GET AN EDUCATION I.E GO TO NIGHT SCHOOL.
DO YOU GET IT? LOSER!
GO TO “YAHOO AUTO”AND COMPARE PRICES BETWEEN MALAYSIA AND THE U.S……………….. IF YOU GET SCREWED, THE LEAST YOU COULD DO IS ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT YOU ARE GETTING SCREWED, MORON.
NAJIB IS BLOODY HAPPY HAVING MORONS LIKE YOU AS CITIZENS.
Study 1st before comment la…
What we have here is Honda Insight in between LX and EX for US model (full spec, without pedal shift, leather and satnav). their price are in between 18K to 24K USD otr. Let say our version is USD 22K. It couldve cost around RM70K.
Plus 10% sales tax, RM77K
Plus shipping, handling and forwarding insurance let say RM5K, it would be RM82K.
Plus showroom, advertising and local accesories, Honda Malaysia commission, up to RM 90K (Labuan price).
Plus AP commission, RM98K for peninsular price should be justified.
Those RM58K valuation stated on the AP forms are more on the ‘documentation adjustment’, to enable the insight sells at 98k for u.
Never buy a superbike do you? CBR1000RR in AP form declared RM32K and sell by superbike shop at RM85K. If that bloody taukeh are making more than RM50K per bike, d u think he will still around? And if so, why dont we all, well informed citizen open a bike shop?
Wake up and study economy please…
Hi WISDOM, not sure how Wisdom you are.
Let’s say USD22K selling in US, the price has inclusive of sales tax (if any in US), the shipping (from Japan to US and to the respective inner land, etc, or from Detroit to any part of US, and remember the operating costs are much higher than in Malaysia), and of course the showroom, advert, etc in US. The USD22K is the so-called “net” price.
Similarly, the manufacturer (Honda) also need to ship from Japan to Malaysia (distance is shorter from JPN-MYS compared to JPN-US, and local shipping as well – to cross a state in US is as far as from JB to Alor Star).
So, it is the good question we need to ask.. USD22K in US compared to USD33K in Malaysia…. the difference, where does it go to?
that is why the Gov has no intention to build a public transport that facilitates the people. it has been like 20 years. so they can keep milking the consumer to buy cars. Traffic jam never in their context as long they are politicians.
haha agree
some ppl who shout here dont even bother to read. The price coming here is about 60k. With hybrid the dealer need also to set-up the infra structure and training for the service centre. All cost money, and since the tax exemption is only one year then only in this year the dealer can use their profit as capital for those exercise. When the tax is fone then to get sales they cannot have the same margins anymore.
For me, although tempted but I think hybrid is a stop gap technology, and from the look of it it will be replaced by EV soon.
HONDA INSIGHT IS PRICED AT THE EQUIVALENT OF RM 56K TO THE END USER IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. FOR YOUR INFO, SALARIES, RENTAL AND EVERYTHING ELSE COSTS LEAST 3 TIMES MORE IN THE U.S. THAN MALAYSIA.
AT 56K, THEY MAKE MONEY, WHICH MEANS THEIR WHOLESALE PRICE IS ONLY AROUND 40K. AND YOU SAY I AM STUPID TO SUGGEST THAT SYED MOKHTAR IS PROFITEERING!….ARE YOU RELATED TO HIM OR SLEEPING WITH HIM?
AND WHERE IN THE WORLD DID YOU GET THE IDEA THAT THE TAX BREAK IS ONLY ONE YEAR?….IT IS FOREVER, BIGGIE, OR IS IT PIGGIE.
OK PIGGIE, YOU WIN, YOU GOT MONEY , GO GET YOURSELF A KANCIL , I WOULDN’T WANT TO BUMP INTO YOU ON A BUS.
IF YOU ARE SUCH A CAR FREAK, WHY BOTHER WITH A HONDA WHEN THERE IS LAMBORGHINI…..CAN U AFFORD THAT IN MALAYSIA?
I think the tax break is 1 year unitl to 31 December 2011. I think you better read first b4 firing ppl. Eventhough i do not agreed with biggie that it cost more due to to set-up the infra structure and training for the service centre. As in US, the honda also need to incur this cost but selling price much lower than us. So i believe Honda and Toyota are making a lot of profit here
YOU ARE WRONG
I read this site to get info and look at feedbacks from people on the topic at hand and here you (Salem) are screaming at others. Be civil please, learn to agree to disagree. You can’t force people to agree with you, particularly if they also have their own facts.
Instead of getting beneficial info, I’m getting sakit kepala.
I think salem is a pure moron who have no idea WTH is he talking about. It’s toyota n honda that raised the price. Gov already slashed the tax. His comment is completely bias. He should read more.
56k or 98k, tax is here to stay. If u dont like it, surrender your passport and migrate to u.s, whre “everything is cheap” G got to do what G got to do. 4 states already govern by oppo, and they only give free water and free wifi (coming soon) if they are so good than current G why dont they rebate your fuel, your toll, your food, your astro, your unifi. The bottom line, whoever rule this country, rakyat is no2, kroni is no1. This is including kelantan, 20 years rules by oppo, still their rakyat datang sini cari kerja. Citt.
I am one of Insight owner and very happy with it.
When I look at the Insight I think it should be priced at only 56K in the Malaysian market. I agree with Bongok, Honda cannot sell at that price even if they want to. The Government would not allowed that to happen. With that priced it will be too competitive with Potong Persona. Nobody would want to buy a Potong. Again The protection thing plays against the Malaysian Car Buyers…
I just got my insight, surprisingly, the car is out of my expectation with very responsive city driving need. I also like the spec given like vss like traction control, rain sensor wiper, auto light on off, sound proof is excellent if you don’t rock the pedal. Audio system is nice and the radius for turning is also very good. Quality wise is also above my expectation and the whole car feel lights. Can’t compare to my the other car MK6 GTi, that feel more solid but city driving pressure wise, not too bad.
I like the idea of when traffic Jam, once you step on the brake, all cut off. GTi full tank city drive with traffic jam registered 320KM full tank, 55 littles, insight is 35 littles 600km with same jam condition.
So far, the sales has been professional that even beaten Wearns VW. I change nitrogen gas into the tyre and modify auto break lock.
That is some very impressive fuel efficiency proved already, enjoy it….
car is CBU with no tax at RM98K but we still have to pay AP monies !!! dun forget that .. all the monies goes to somebody’s pocket ….. this is malaysia boleh land
u have to understand that its not umw toyota or honda who sets the price..heck they would love to reduce the price and cannibalize the local car markets..but do you really think they will be allowed to do that?
Most ppl seemed to think only of fuel consumption benefit when talk about Hybrids. And most ppl bashed the Prius juz bcoz it costs 140k. But these ppl overlooked the fact that Prius is a CBU Japan car, the vehicle size & cc sits between a C & D segment, offers a comprehensive list of equipment which is not even to be found on the entry levels Camry or Accord 2.0, such as 7 airbags, traction control, cruise control, smart entry, folding rear seats and of course a very high tech multi info display and controls. If u factor all these in, u’ll agree that the price justifies simply because the price, the size of the car & its equipment level sit rightly in between the C segment Civic / Altis & the D segment Accord / Camry. And mind u, we’re not even extolling about the f/c benefit yet!
Well, I’d expect detractors to scream that cheaper priced Korean makes offer the same if not more, but hey, we’re talking bout Japanese vs Japanese, which should be the accurate apple vs apple. No point bringing up irrelevant comparisons coz if that happens, we can even talk bout even cheaper Chinese makes or if u want, maybe even the Tata Nano!
I didnt agree Prius sits in between C and D segment. It was based on old corolla platform, using torsion beam, much shorter wheelbase compared to camry or accord.
I agree that the feature list is attractive. But that alone cant justify the 140K price tags as the most of the tax has been removed.
Anywhere else the Prius was priced closely with Civic Hybrid. If Civic Hybrid last price before removal can be as low as 108K, why Prius is 32K more expensive?
It sits on a smallish D platform, Toyota Avensis. No Camry in Europe, they sell Avensis instead.
They’re using a different technology my friend, the Prius is a full hybrid with more components and have an all electric EV mode for low speeds. The Civic Hybrid is a parallel hybrid with less components and lower cost, it does not have an all electric mode like the Prius but it can cruise on the electric motor alone at low speeds.
Salem,
Why is this ‘holier than thou’ attitude? We are all discussing the issue in a civilised manner. If you can’t do that, please take your argument elsewhere. We don’t need to hear the verbal abuse from uncivilised people.
very low number of buyers because not many choices since very less vehicles imported to malaysia ….so malaysia need to make its own hybrid for the “green dream” 100% tax cut? i only know US and middle east have something like that but 100%? no country maybe in another planet ….@ rm30000+ for new jap cars will make malaysian trade all protons in a day…..since our “tax paid” second hand car market fetch higher price than brand new taxless jap cars…..just wait till proton hybrid and perodua full electric….if it happens…..it should…..despite hybrids are there for many years di….