The price on the Insight was just released, and it comes in at $20,470 with the destination charge.
2010 Honda Insight officially priced at $20,470*
Here's what I think:
At just over 40 MPG (EPA), the Insight is no Prius, not even a Metro, in terms of efficiency. It is, however, relatively affordable, fun to drive, and hip, according to most reviews. Even so, 43 MPG highway is pretty unimpressive for a car that's designed to be an efficient hybrid. In comparison to the 2009 Honda Fit (33 MPG hwy), the Insight is reasonably good.
The Insight draws heavily on the Fit parts bin, so I bet much of the price difference between the Insight and the Fit is in the IMA hybrid system. Given that IMA is a pretty mild hybrid system, IMA is not very relevant to the MPG at highway speeds. Therefore, the Insight's 43MPG highway rating is primarily the result of good aerodynamics, a small gas engine, and tall gearing.
With that in mind, I'd like to see a $15k Fit with some aero improvements, tall gearing, Honda's 1.3L gas engine, and no electric motor. Said an other way, chuck the IMA system out of the Insight and build me an aerodynamic, light, affordable highway car.