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Originally Posted by MetroMPG
Also: All Toyota hybrids are either theoretically or currently retrofittable as PHEVs with extended EV range. Non-EV mode Honda hybrids will continue to be ignored in that arena...
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Insights certainly can be modified to be PHEVs - people have for instance added a second battery pack in parallel, with recharging from the grid. That Prius conversions are more common is simply because there are a lot more of them. (Which traces back to the fact that since Honda Intended the Insight as a real-world experiment sold below cost of production, they never wanted to sell a large number.)
As for the success of Prius vs Civic hybrid, there's a better explanation: the Prius is readily identifiable, while the Civic hybrid looks like any other Civic, so people who wanted to make a statement bought the Prius. Let Honda come out with their own identifiable hybrid(s), and that will change.
You don't get the EV-only mode (at least in a practical form), but I'd argue that, coolness aside, its usefulness is actually pretty limited. You either use X amount of grid-electricity to go a short distance in EV mode, or you can use the same amount to boost the engine so that it stays in the lean-burn mode for a longer time. Then if you live in a cold climate, you have to run the engine anyway to get cabin heat...