Falling From First Place - Honda Clarity Sales Drop To Also-Ran Status
One year ago, the Honda Clarity was the number one affordable electric vehicle sold in America. Its sales topped 2,00 units twice in the past year, and in December of 2018, its sales nearly reached 3,000 units. Which is why its rapid drop in sales is so stunning.
Honda Clarity Sales September
This past September, Honda only sold a total of 548 Clarity family vehicles. That is down from 2,200 last September 2018, a dramatic drop of 75%. The Clarity is now no longer in the top group of EV sales. In fact, its low sales rate has placed it in the "also-ran" category of EVs nobody pays much mind to, since their sales don't add up to a hill of beans in a country where the Prius maintains a monthly sales rate average of 5,500 units and the RAV4 Hybrid is averaging over 10,000 units sold per month.
Read Our Unbiased Review Of the Clarity Here
Honda Moves Clarity Home To California
It is unclear why Honda has not promoted the Clarity, and why it has opted to withdraw the car from dealerships across the country. Just a couple of months ago Honda moved the Clarity to California only. However, the company says that any dealership in America can order a Clarity for a customer. Without dealer inventory and test vehicles for customers to drive, the Insight, Civic, and Accord are likely to be the customers' choice. Perhaps that is the intent.
Honda Clarity Popularity
Ironically, Clarity has proven to be extremely popular with owners and fans. The Honda Clarity PHEV Owners Club on Facebook has over 2,000 active members and posts cover a wide range of topics. Despite its popularity, some Honda dealers are offering deep discounts on the Clarity PHEV. We checked the Drive Green website which lists green vehicle deals in our area and found discounts of as much as $8,500!
Honda Clarity Fast Facts
The Honda Clarity is a midsized car available (in some areas) as a battery-electric or plug-in hybrid electric drivetrain. The PHEV has accounted for the bulk of sales. As such, it qualifies for a federal tax deduction of up to $7,500. In combination with dealer discounts, Clarity cars in our area cost just over $21,000 after incentives.
In addition to covering green vehicle topics, John Goreham covers safety, technology, and new vehicle news at Torque News. You can follow John on Twitter at @johngoreham.