Oct 15, 2008

Will It Out-Prius Prius?

Honda did some big talking at the recent Paris auto show, displaying a hybrid hatchback “concept car” that will spawn a production version set to be shown after the first of the year. The new Insight, named after Honda’s first production hybrid vehicle, promises to offer fuel economy to rival that of the iconic Toyota Prius hybrid while having a substantially lower price at the same time. Honda hinted that the production Insight would be priced under $20,000 in comparison to the Prius, which has a base price of $22,720.

The new Honda hybrid will use a hybrid system that differs substantially from that of the Prius. Much like the system used in the current Honda Civic Hybrid, it relies heavily on a very efficient small-displacement internal-combustion gasoline engine. The hybrid drive system, dubbed “Integrated Motor Assist,” uses the battery-electric motor combination to boost power when added acceleration is needed, in instances like driving up a hill. It cannot function on battery power alone.

While the previous two-seat Insight was not a sales success, Honda has big plans for the upcoming version, which looks uncannily like the current Prius. It hopes to sell about 200,000 Insights annually worldwide, with half of those sales coming in the United States.