Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid now sold in California only?

Discussion in 'Clarity' started by Mrmayhem4, Aug 3, 2019.

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  1. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    Do you mean Ann Arbor? If so the VIN is 003295 which means manufactured about May, so it's probably being shipped from a California dealer.

    FYI a new listing in CA has a VIN number of 004923 so I expect to see it hit 5,000 soon.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2019
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  3. You're right on top of it, aren't you? :)

    Germain doesn't seem really on top of it. After setting up an appointment and promising me that they'd plug it in overnight they had to call back later to tell me that the car wasn't *actually* there.
     
  4. My 2013 Volt was totalled a couple of weeks ago. My daughter has a Clarity Touring that she bought last year and I wasn't able to find a red or green one less than 450 miles away.
    For now I'm picking up a CPO Nissan Leaf in hopes of 2020 availability of the Clarity of my dreams. If I end up having to fly to pick one up in greater NYC area, so be it, but I needed to buy some time to figure that out.
     
  5. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    I actually hadn't seen that one until you mentioned it so I found it with a quick search, thanks for bringing it up. I think it's interesting, why would they bring in a 2019 from California assuming that is what is happening, maybe it was for an order that fell through but it was too late to back out of the transfer so they are listing it. But why would this dealer sell someone a 2019 when most others won't? Maybe a customer was willing to pay MSRP for the car and the dealer decided to chance bringing one in, worst case the customer cancels, dealer keeps the deposit and presumably this dealer believes they would be able to sell it, unlike other dealers who won't touch a Clarity with a ten foot pole unless they have to. Although you would think they would get one from NY or somewhere closer, but then again there are a lot more 2019's available in California so more likely a California dealer was willing to bargain.
     
  6. You have to understand that Ann Arbor would be the most likely location in the state to handle a car like this.
    If you search for a Nissan Leaf, the only ones in the state you'll find are in Ann Arbor.
     
    2002 likes this.
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  8. fotomoto

    fotomoto Active Member

    Common belief that is only 1/2 the full story and was promoted by GM who eventually admitted the ICE is used to power (move) the car in charge depletion (HV) mode and not just only charge the battery. In part, the Gen 2 gets better gas economy over the Gen 1 because of this.

    Still is where I live and primarily drive in Texas and the southwest.

    I compared two long road trips I took this summer with the Tesla supercharger planning map and the 1300 mile trip that we took in the Clarity would have taken 4 hrs longer while the 2k mile trip I took in my Energi would have taken 15 hrs longer using the $50k LR model 3. The map app doesn't offer the choice to select the standard range $35k base version (hmm, I wonder why???? ;) ) I found the SR 250 mile model X is the closest option on the drop down menu to the base M3 that the map offers and selecting it shows it would take nearly 8 hrs longer! Just as importantly, using the supercharger route would take us through Houston both ways on the frequent 1300 trip which is a huge, huge negative for us. Plus, that can add a lot of extra time due to traffic delays the map app can't foresee.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2019
  9. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    Although one advantage is that if passing through Corsicana you can have a nice meal at Collin Street Bakery while charging. I sometimes stop there for lunch or dinner when driving from Houston to Dallas, last time I was there I was surprised to see a supercharger station in their parking lot.

    Collins Street Bakery - Copy.JPG
     
  10. fotomoto

    fotomoto Active Member

    Looks yummy! Unfortunately, that's not near my personal route nor the supercharger planner route.

    You bring up another point too: not all supercharger locations are created equal. The one I would need to use in Houston is in a very poor and, I consider, potentially unsafe location with only a gas station (oh the irony) close by if you don't want to sit in the car. As they say, YMMV.
     
    2002 likes this.
  11. Michael Wei

    Michael Wei New Member

    Very good question, my friends in Alberta and Manitoba have never even heard of Clarity and have not seen one in those provinces so I suspect there either don't sell it in those provinces or ran out of stock? Or perhaps the range is too low for -30 degrees winters?
     
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  13. If So Equipped

    If So Equipped New Member

    Yes, it was an experiment with a number of objectives. I would be surprised to see any of the 3 variants produced for 2020. Service people have told me of fuel cell Clarities that could not be repaired. The BEV we have developed a DCFC fault and I could only find one dealer with a DCFC charger (not yet working) who said it was only for 1) Hondas AND 2) Hondas sold by their dealership AND 3) Hondas with an active service ticket (charger had a useless CHAdeMO connector + CCS). We have experienced sudden acceleration with ACC on in traffic jams that required emergency braking. The observed retreat to CA for PHEV signals withdrawal from the market; I don't think a website offering a 2020 reservation is very meaningful (probably you will get offered another model) and of course the dealers just aren't going to say much. My source is a former Honda employee who drives a Clarity BEV who said 2019 was the last year for BEV.
     
  14. insightman

    insightman Well-Known Member Subscriber

    Knowing whether or not a car is on the lot would seem to be a fundamental dealer function. However, I've had good luck with Germain Honda. Our Clarity was fully charged for our test drive, they understand how to install service bulletin updates, and they didn't try to charge me to repair a defective A/C condenser (unlike another forum member's dealer).
     
  15. 2002

    2002 Well-Known Member

    Apparently confirmed today by Honda:

    "While the model remains orderable in all 50 states, the automaker is now devoting new inventory to dealers in the Golden State. The change was confirmed this morning by Honda spokesperson Jessica Pawl."

    https://www.carsdirect.com/automotive-news/honda-shifts-focus-for-clarity-plug-in-hybrid-squarely-on-california

    Not sure however why some people say dealers won't order them, could be lack of knowledge by dealers or they simply don't want to deal with it and want to sell you something on their lot. Then again it will be interesting to find out what type of discount if any people outside of California can get.
     
    If So Equipped and cokeb5 like this.
  16. cokeb5

    cokeb5 Member

    Wow, guess it's official then. I'm glad they made a statement about it, not sure if I should be disappointed or not though...
     
  17. RickSE

    RickSE Active Member

    I’m certainly disappointed. Honda should be able to sell the cr@p out of this amazing car with just a little effort. If they can’t sell enough then I’m concerned about parts in the future. Glad I got the 8 year warranty!
     
  18. Lowell_Greenberg

    Lowell_Greenberg Active Member

    Well, I guess this went out the door:

    https://www.wardsauto.com/2017-new-york-international-auto-show/honda-details-clarity-phev-ev-targets-75000-us-sales

    Isn't it unusual for a car to national, then ZEV states mostly, and then CA only. Presumably focused on CA for the ZEV credits. Why did Honda even bother to go national for the Clarity?

    Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
     
  19. Lowell_Greenberg

    Lowell_Greenberg Active Member

    Also- the implications for servicing are not good. Why would a dealer maintain certifications, equipment and parts for a vehicle can't sell?

    Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
     
    Ceetee likes this.
  20. RickSE

    RickSE Active Member

    In good conscience I can’t recommend this car to anyone any more. I love my Clarity but as someone who owned their cars for > 10 years I feel like I might have an albatross after my warranty runs out. I currently own 5 Honda cars and have bought 8 in the past 30 years. If they are abandoning something they sold me after two years i won’t be buying a 9th.
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2019
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  21. Clarity_Newbie

    Clarity_Newbie Active Member

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  22. czbo

    czbo New Member

    Just pure speculation here, but with the ZEV traveling provision ending August 31, 2019. Would it make sense that Honda has been focusing sales in California to maximize the credits? After August 31, they would have to earn credits outside of California by actually selling EVs in those states. The traveling provision allows an automaker to earn ZEV credits in all ZEV states by selling cars in California, but that is ending soon.

    In the upstate NY area, all the inventory listing I can find from Albany to Buffalo have VIN numbers between 500 and 1100, implying they were shipped a while ago and sales have been between slow and non-existent.
     
  23. DucRider

    DucRider Well-Known Member

    From the Honda Zone Manager in our region:
    The article that came out and prompted this is not entirely accurate. Here’s our full, official message from our PR team:

    The state of California is the largest market for plug-in hybrid vehicles. In order to meet customer demand we are currently prioritizing supply of the Clarity Plug-in Hybrid in California, rather than allocating units for dealer inventory in other markets. Dealers in all 50 states are able to order Clarity PHEV vehicles and customers can purchase or lease a Clarity PHEV in all markets outside of California. We are always monitoring the market and can make adjustments to supply accordingly, but Honda remains disciplined in our approach of matching supply and demand and, in this case, that means focusing sales of Clarity PHEV vehicles in the market with the strongest consumer demand.
     
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