We already have had a chance to get behind the wheel in our 2010 Honda Insight review and we've already done a design dissection of the 2010 Toyota Prius, we haven't yet seen how the two stack up against each other. For starters, it’s difficult to make this comparison as neither automaker's released full specs yet. However, we're still able to make some initial observations and in cases where we don't have all the details, we've tried to provide some good guesstimates.

Price: In both cars’ cases, we’re waiting on price. It’s rumored the Insight will retail for $18,500 while the current Prius goes for $22,000. The new one is larger, has a bigger engine and fancier technology. Will it cost more money? Advantage: Insight.

Size: The Insight is and entry-level vehicle, the Prius a mid-size. While the Insight is noticeably smaller, there’s less difference once you’re inside than you’d think. Nearly the same space in a smaller package? Advantage: Insight.

"Fun" Factor: Neither of these cars is going to drive like a Lotus Exige, but, believe it or not, the Insight is actually kind of fun and rewarding. We haven’t driven the 2010 Prius, but “fun to drive” is hardly a hallmark of Toyota’s current range. Advantage: Insight.

Fuel Economy: The Prius kills the Insight dead in estimated EPA fuel economy numbers, returning 50 MPG combined to the Honda’s 41 combined. Since both are estimates, we wouldn’t be surprised to see one or both of the cars rise or fall by a MPG or two when they’re officially certified. Advantage: Prius.

Just for fun, we’ve put together a chart to walk through all the salient details between the two "green" machines. We've also tossed in some other putatively green competitors — the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the 2009 VW Jetta TDI.

Click here for the 2010 Toyota Prius, 2010 Honda Insight By The Numbers Comparison

Here's the press release:

GM Reports 221,983 Deliveries in December; 2,980,688 Vehicles Sold in 2008

* December deliveries up 30 percent compared with October and up 43 percent compared with November
* Market share in December expected around 24 percent, up about 4 ppts compared with November, reflecting renewed APR rate support through GMAC
* Second half 2008 share up nearly 2 ppts compared with first half
* 2008 market share position anticipated to hold steady at just above 22 percent

DETROIT – General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 221,983 vehicles in December, down 31 percent compared with a year ago. However, total deliveries were 67,000 vehicles more than November’s result, up more than 43 percent month over month. GM December car sales of 87,506 were off 25 percent and truck sales of 134,477 were down 35 percent compared with a year ago.

For the year, GM delivered 2,980,688 vehicles while maintaining an expected market share just above 22 percent. Annual deliveries were down 23 percent compared with 2007, largely due to building weakness in the marketplace throughout the year spurred by economic headwinds such as the dramatic reduction in credit availability experienced in the fourth quarter, coupled with historically low levels of consumer confidence. Additionally, the American Axle strike and several supply disruptions impacted GM’s performance in the first half of the year.

“Given the ongoing challenges and the difficult market environment, we were very encouraged to see a volume rebound for GM in December compared with both October and November,” said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. “We are building more vehicles than ever that provide great value and Americans enjoy owning. That is why, for the year, we are seeing our market share holding steady at just above 22 percent. That’s 5 percentage points more and 760,000 vehicles more than our nearest competitor.

“Our outstanding cars, trucks and crossovers are enabling us to hold the leadership position in a very difficult market. Our Red Tag Event was well-received, and the ability to offer some 0% financing through our partner GMAC in the last week of the month also helped,” LaNeve added.

Despite the weak market in December, Chevrolet Malibu continued its solid performance with total sales up 43 percent compared with last December. For 2008, Malibu sales of more than 178,000 vehicles were up 39 percent, making it the highest percentage gainer in the top 20 vehicles sold in America with a volume increase compared with 2007. With its six-speed transmission and four-cylinder engine combination, the Malibu delivers an EPA-estimated 33 mpg highway – tops in the industry’s mid-car segment. The Malibu Hybrid also offers the lowest-priced hybrid in the segment. Additionally, with 4,500 retail vehicles delivered, the Chevrolet Traverse crossover nearly doubled its retail volume compared with November.

“We’re really pleased about the strength of our Chevrolet brand, with the Malibu continuing to perform very well, and the Traverse crossover off to a strong start,” LaNeve added. “Also, with a harsh winter and lower gas prices, our trucks and SUVs are continuing to perform well in their segments. With GMAC now able to provide more financing capacity, and with all the exciting new car and crossover launches including the Cadillac CTS Sportwagon and SRX, Chevy Camaro and Equinox, and Buick LaCrosse in 2009, we are optimistic that with an overall market recovery we can begin to capitalize on the well-recognized product renaissance of all our brands.”

A total of 2,555 GM hybrid vehicles were delivered in the month. Hybrid sales included: 981 Chevrolet Tahoe, 442 GMC Yukon and 306 Cadillac Escalade 2-mode hybrid SUVs delivered. There were 454 Chevrolet Malibu, 34 Saturn Aura and 338 Vue hybrids sold in December. In 2008, GM sold a total of 14,439 hybrid vehicles.

GM inventories dropped compared with a year ago. In December, only about 872,000 vehicles were in stock, down about 36,000 vehicles (or 4 percent) compared with last year. There were about 397,000 cars and 475,000 trucks (including crossovers) in inventory at the end of December.

Certified Used Vehicles

December 2008 sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, were 43,070 vehicles, up 21 percent from December 2007.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry’s top-selling certified brand, posted December sales of 37,632 vehicles, up 24 percent from December 2007. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 888 vehicles, down 24 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 3,740 vehicles, up 11 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 548 vehicles, up 14 percent, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 262 vehicles, up 85 percent.

Total 2008 sales for all certified GM brands were 485,279 vehicles, down 5 percent from 2007. Annual sales for GM Certified Used Vehicles were 422,114 vehicles, down 6 percent. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 11,573 vehicles in 2008, down 9 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles finished 2008 with sales of 41,598 vehicles, up 7 percent from 2007, while Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted sales of 7,705 vehicles, up 6 percent, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 2,289 vehicles, up 71 percent.

“December sales for certified GM programs were strong, with GM Certified Used Vehicles up 24 percent over last December, as shoppers continue to seek value and peace of mind in a challenging economy,” said LaNeve. “GM Certified finished 2008 as the sales leader among all manufacturer-certified pre-owned brands for the seventh consecutive year, and our Cadillac, Saab and HUMMER luxury certified brands each posted strong year-to-year sales increases.”

GM North America Reports December, 2008 Production; Q1 2009 Production Forecast at 420,000 Vehicles

In December, GM North America produced 249,000 vehicles (105,000 cars and 144,000 trucks). This is down 3,000 vehicles or 1 percent compared with December 2007 when the region produced 252,000 vehicles (71,000 cars and 181,000 trucks). (Production totals include joint venture production of 10,000 vehicles in December 2008 and 15,000 vehicles in December 2007.)

GM North America built 823,000 vehicles (371,000 cars and 452,000 trucks) in the fourth-quarter of 2008. This is down 219,000 vehicles or 21 percent compared to fourth-quarter of 2007 when the region produced 1.042 million vehicles (358,000 cars and 684,000 trucks). Additionally, the region’s 2009 first-quarter production forecast is now 420,000 vehicles (143,000 cars and 277,000 trucks),which is down about 53 percent compared with a year ago, and about 180,000 fewer than the previous forecast. GM North America built 885,000 vehicles (360,000 cars and 525,000 trucks) in the first-quarter of 2008. First quarter 2008 production was reduced nearly 100,000 vehicles due to the strike at American Axle.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 252,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 34 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

Note: In this press release and related comments by General Motors management, we use words like "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "forecast," "objective," "plan," "goal" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, representing our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: market acceptance of our products; shortages of and price increases for fuel; significant changes in the competitive environment and the effect of competition on our markets, including on our pricing policies; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity and financing sources and an appropriate level of debt; and changes in general economic conditions. GM’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q provide information about these factors, which may be revised or supplemented in future reports to the SEC on Form 10-Q or 8-K.

# # #

American Honda
Honda was the sparkling bright light of hope amidst today's reports, announcing year-over-year sales figures which bucked the greater trend with a gain of 13.8%. The increases at Honda were led by a record breaking month for both the Honda Fit and the Honda Civic. Sales at the Acura division weren't so great, but when you're selling the brand for fuel efficient small cars during painful fuel times, that kind of thing gets overshadowed.

Daimler AG
There's some kind of saying about how the rich get richer and the poor get... something, but it escapes our mind at the moment. We're watching Daimler's caviar-infused Kobe veal just now arriving. We're not the least bit surprised in the Daimler announcement of sales improvements around 12.9%, the idea of driving anything less than a Mercedes in these trying times is simply unnerving.

Subaru Motors
Maybe all those years of pitching responsible transportation and safety-inspired handling have netted benefits, as Subaru has reported a 5.3% increase in sales for June. Could also be the the new Subaru Forester crossover scores major points with the "I want an SUV but I'd love good fuel economy" crowd. Whatever the case, the Fuji Heavy industries subsidiary is making gains in a tough market.

Volkswagen AG
VW must be doing something right, as they've managed to eke out a 0.3% sales increase where many others have not. Perhaps the concept of small, premium, sporty, fuel efficient cars isn't so far-fetched after all. Listen to us, we sound like smug Europeans.

BMW Group
It just goes to show that questionable styling, thirsty engines, and complex controls don't always a luxe brand make. BMW Group reported an unfortunate sales loss of 11% for June. Where the compact Mini brand saw a 24.8% bump in demand, the BMW brand dropped by 17% — we're betting those numbers pick up once the BMW X6 starts hitting — or rather bypassing showroom floors — as all of them are spoken for already.

Toyota
Not all is well within the super number one best awesome brand from the land of the rising sun. June saw an overall decline of 11.5%*. Breaking that down — the Lexus Division was smacked pretty good with a 21.1% decline and the Toyota Division fell 10.3% relative to last June. Supply problems with what should be the all-star Prius forced a 25% sales drop for the headlining hybrid. What about them trucks though? Toyota truck sales were down a whopping 31.1% which, in our opinion bodes very poorly for the new Toyota Tundra. Consider the Ford F-150's sales flagged by only 5% more, and yet the Toyota is much newer with a new F-Series just over a pushed-back-by-two-months horizon. *Toyota reported figures adjusted for daily sales rate

Nissan North America
Apparently Nissan is no slouch in losing sales either. Carlos Ghosn's golden brand saw a decline of 17.7% this June. Sure, it's not as good as either Toyota or Honda, but it sure as hell isn't as bad as the traditional big three. As expected, sales of the company's small cars came on strong last month, but Nissan's trucks and SUVs took a solid faceplant. Nissan still has that all-electric wonder-car planned, so we're sure the greenwashing campaign will begin immediately.

General Motors
The General isn't doing too bad compared to its cross-town rivals, but losing 18.5% compared to last years' June still stings. Sure, the Hummer brand lost an eye-watering 60%, but other vehicles made up for most of it, like the shockingly popular Chevy Malibu, and even the Cobalt is seeing renewed demand. And don't even talk to them about trucks and SUVs. But that's not to say GM is on solid ground, especially considering recent announcements from management on idling of plants.

Porsche AG
Perhaps it's the pending release of a freshened Porsche 911, or the overall stagnation of the brand, or that Porsche sales are heavily weighted on the high selling, and uber-thirsty Cayenne, but Porsche announced a surprising drop of 18.9% in sales. Maybe even luxury buyers are tightening their belts when it comes to weekend toys.

Ford Motor Company
Ford did not have a very good month. With declines pegged at 28% and sales of the popular F-150 down a staggering 36% for the month of June, the big blue oval is taking one to the jaw on the sales front. It's worth a note though that the yucky-looking but fuel-efficient new Ford Focus is positively flying off the lots. Now if only they could get that new Ford Fiesta here on the double.

Chrysler LLC
Chrylser LLC has posted a mind numbing 36% decline for June, and with numbers like that, and the decision to shutter the St. Louis minivan plant, Cerberus has got to be patting themselves on the back right about now. June was so bad, we heard the Chrysler dealers actually had to resort to brushing the spider webs off the doors during their lunch breaks. Despite its $2.99 gas deal, some of the SUV offerings were complete non-sellers, for instance: Jeep Commander — down 68% to 1,961 vehicles; Dodge Durango down 67% to 1,723 vehicles; Chrysler Aspen down 49% to 944 vehicles.

Mitsubishi Cars
And today's winner is Mitsubishi, posting a breathtaking 42.4% decline in sales compared to last June. Here is where we insert jokes about lingering Chrysler interior quality, and the smashing success of the new Mitsubishi design language, but that just seems mean. Let's be serious for a second though, has anyone seen the interior of the Mitsubishi Endeavor? Oh wait, that answer is no.

Well, there are a few culprits worthy of nose thumbing. People are nixing satellite radio in favor of other options like MP3 players, HD Radio and other entertainment packages; people are getting their satellite radio fix from factory-installed units, because it is hard to find a vehicle without the option to have either XM or Sirius integrated; and the common folk are still waiting out the Sirius and XM merger.

I guess what I'm getting at is simple: Don't give up on satellite radio yet. Give it a chance.[Orbitcast