Neither of Honda’s other hybrids – Civic or Accord – was selling well (the Accord version has since been dropped), and someone at Honda apparently decided that the reason they weren’t selling well was because they were indistinguishable from their more-ordinary brandmates.

The Prius looks like no other Toyota, and I suspect that people flocked to it because it was easily recognizable, especially people for whom it is important to appear to be environmentally concerned. (Which is no different, really, from the 16-year-old who wants the coolest-looking car in the high-school parking lot; we all are motivated at least somewhat by automotive appearance. This doesn’t explain the Dodge Caliber, but you can’t have everything.)

So Honda decided to avoid both looking like the previous Insight or like its other cars, and hit upon a very aerodynamic (good for fuel economy) design with a sharp cutoff in the back. Which is, as noted, a design that looks very Prius-y. Still, if you want to be recognized from a distance as someone with impeccable green credentials, now you have two choices at popular prices.