New Honda Insight - the most affordable hybrid yet
The new Insight - the most affordable hybrid on the market, and one of the lowest-priced ‘green' cars.
Ask the average man on the street to name a hybrid and it's a pretty safe bet they'll say "Prius", so you may be forgiven for thinking that Honda is blatantly following in Toyota's tyre-prints. We have to admit that when the all-new Honda Insight was revealed from behind the screen, the first thing that entered our heads was indeed: "it looks like a Prius". Toyota's commitment and colossal financial investment in petrol/electric hybrid technology is to be commended, but it was Honda that won the race to release a hybrid car onto the international market.
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The 1999 Insight was a sporty, slick coupe but now it's a fully-fledged, grown-up family car! The first-gen hybrid was expensive - selling only 18,000 units - and heavy, but still fast, as demonstrated by Oaktec, an engineering firm that races Honda hybrids [for research purposes of course] using high-octane bio-ethanol. Oaktec have a strict rule: if a piece of racing technology will raise the emissions - they won't apply it. |
Honda is confident that the demand for fuel-economic hybrids is now strong and plan to produce at least 200,000 per year. 8,000 of the family saloons will be available in the UK. Fans of the original Insight coupe can look forward to hybrid versions of small Honda cars like the sexy CR-Z hatchback and Honda Jazz, in the next few years.
Honda were creating aerodynamic wedge shapes and glazed rear-end panels decades before the Prius became the darling of Hollyood and will continue the distinctive roofline and front grille that adorns their flagship green chariot - The Honda FCX Clarity.
The future is clear at the rear
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The glazed rear-ends of Honda's hydrogen-fuelled FCX Clarity and the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid concept, both on display at the recent British Motor Show.
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| You can see the award winning Honda Insight Hybrid and book a test drive at the free Green Motor Expo in London's West End, Thursday 24 Sept. |
Useful Links
Fnd out how the new Honda Insight can make you a really good driver: http://www.insightecon.co.uk/
Honda Hybrid police cars: http://www.eco-rally.org/honda_and_london_metropolitan_police_biggest_hy...
Rally-Racing Honda Hybrids: http://www.oaktechybrid.co.uk
- reply
Submitted by Mike W at Revolve on 26 February 2009 - 10:46pm.