Honda had high hopes for its 2010 Insight; however, its latest hybrid has failed to live up to expectations, selling far fewer than the Japanese automaker had wanted. On the other hand, the 2010 Toyota Prius, undoubtedly the Insight’s main competitor, is off to a brisk start, selling 12,998 units in June compared to the Insight’s 2,079 units. Honda had hoped to sell 90,000 units in its first 12 months, but at the current rate it’s on track to sell less than one-third of that goal.

The Honda Insight’s main advantage over the 2010 Toyota Prius is its lower starting price, which is a few thousands less. According to The Los Angeles Times, dealers are hoping that Honda will rework its marketing efforts to emphasize the price differences between the two hybrids. But it may not work since Toyota is planning on releasing a cheaper Prius that will start around $21k in September.

The Insight has managed to sell relatively well in Japan, but Honda needs to balance things out by selling more in North America before its latest hybrid becomes irrelevant, much like the first-generation Insight became in its first year.