New Honda Insight hybrid arrives in spring 2009

September 6, 11:22 AMAuto Review ExaminerJohn Matras

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A new Honda Insight goes on sale in the U.S. next spring with a price that Honda promises will be at a “price significantly below hybrids available today.” With the current Civic Hybrid priced at $23,550, we think "significant" should be below the $20,000 price break. Meanwhile, Honda is content to let us speculate.

Honda will give a hint of what the production Insight will look like, however, at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show, October 2, and released the advance view of a car that looks close-to-production. The new Insight will be a four-door five-passenger hatchback with a distinctive aerodynamic I’m-a-hybrid design. It’s also what Honda calls an “all-new purpose-built” vehicle, which means it won’t be a warmed-over rebodied Civic.

Honda credits advances in its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system with allowing the new Insight to be produced at a lower cost. Honda’s IMA is a “mild hybrid,” meaning it uses an electric motor to supplement acceleration of a car with a smaller engine that gets better gas mileage at cruise, providing a better overall fuel economy.

 Honda has used the same basic system since the original 2-seat Honda Insight introduced in 1999. The production Insight broke the 70 mpg barrier, though our experience driving one in the Pennsylvania mountains yielded fuel economy merely in the 50-plus range. The first Insight also had limited cargo room and with hard high-mileage tires, the overall experience was like driving a very well done college engineering project.

With a decade of producing consumer-friendly hybrids, however, the new Insight should provide ride and comfort car buyers expect in a small car, plus utility from interior tricks including fold-flat seats borrowed from the Honda Fit. Honda says the new Insight will have “a function to assist customers in achieving more fuel efficient driving habits.” We do NOT expect electric shock, however effective, to be used.

Honda expects production of the new Honda Insight will be 200,000 per year, with about half coming to the United States. After the introduction of the Insight, Honda will start selling a “unique sporty hybrid vehicle” based on the CR-Z concept shown at the 2007 Tokyo auto show, with hybrids sales overall hitting 500,000, more than ten percent of Honda’s worldwide sales.

 Illustrations: Top, 2008 Honda Insight concept, Paris Auto Show introduction; 2005 Honda Insight; 2007 Honda CR-Z concept. All photos courtesy American Honda Motor Co,, Inc.