Second generation Honda Insight expected to be unveiled at Geneva Motor Show.
Click on the image for a gallery of high-res images of the first generation Insight
Toyota was the first company to market a modern hybrid car in Japan beginning in 1997, but Honda beat them to the US market by a few in 1999. The Honda Insight was and remains Honda's only dedicated hybrid model, with all the others being based on existing Honda models. The aluminum bodied Insight was never a huge seller and production of the first generation model ceased in 2006.
British magazine AutoCar is reporting that Honda will be showing off a new dedicated hybrid concept at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. In typical Honda fashion this will be a thinly disguised version of a new production successor to the Insight. The new car is expected to be similar in size to the Civic and priced lower than the Prius. No technical details are available right now, but a lower price indicates that it will probably continue with an evolution of the current Honda Integrated Motor Assist system. On the other hand, plug-in hybrids seem to be all the rage this week, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Honda build a PHEV and be first to market, even at a loss. This would also make more sense for a dedicated platform.
Gallery: Honda Insight
[Source: AutoCar]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Phil L. 1:23PM (1/31/2007)
Hmmm - I was under the impression Honda was going to drop the Insight, at least for the US market. Great technology, but the market for small two seaters will always be very limited.
The new Insight will grow to the size of a Civic? Will it still only seat two? If so, why bother? If a four seater, will it also compete with the Civic Hybrid? The story is pretty short on basic info.
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Chris M 1:28AM (2/01/2007)
Shortly after introducing the Fit, Honda announced that they were planning for a cheaper hybrid, leading to speculation about a "Hybrid Fit". Nope.
It looks like Honda is still planning a cheaper hybrid, it may be a special design. Unless they get a real bargin on batteries, it won't be "plug-in", though they may offer an extra-cost plug-in option.
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