I think people overestimate the "look at me" factor of the Prius. Sure, for some that is an appeal, but I think there are other, more compelling reasons, to look past the fugliness and buy a Prius. 1) It gets really good fuel economy. 2) It is well "packaged" - it has a decent amount of interior room for a relatively small car. 3) It can be tech heavy (push button, nav, etc), but is reasonably priced.
Compare sales of the Insight to the Prius. It's not just about looks.
Ford has the technology to tackle all three of those benefits.