2010 Honda Insight

Honda and Toyota pioneered the hybrid-powertrain business in the U.S. market, with the Insight two-seater and the original Prius sedan. Both debuted at the turn of the 21st century. Honda halted production of the original Insight after the 2006 model year, and Toyota's midsize Prius is now entering its third generation as a 2010 model.

Also for 2010, Honda has revived the Insight nameplate, but on a completely different type of hybrid-powertrain vehicle. This time, it's a five-passenger compact hatchback. Honda also continues to offer the Civic Hybrid compact sedan (with a trunk).Billed as the "affordable" hybrid, the Insight hybrid hatchback aims to attract a new breed of battery/gas buyer. In mid-2008, as gasoline prices skyrocketed, hybrids suddenly became highly prized—and highly priced. As gas prices eased back down, the bloom slid rapidly off the hybrid rose, and sales began to tumble.

Honda advises that some design elements were carried over from the original Insight hybrid, particularly in the side profile, while the front-end relates to the company's FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle. Built on a 100.4-inch wheelbase, the Insight weighs 2,723 pounds. Five occupants fit inside, along with 15.9 cubic feet of cargo. Fold-down 60/40-split rear seats provide a configurable seating and cargo area.

In the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system, Honda's 1.3-liter i-VTEC (intelligent variable valve timing) four-cylinder gasoline engine produces 98 horsepower and 123 pound-feet of torque. Powered by nickel-metal-hydride batteries that deliver 100.8 volts, the electric motor/generator is rated at 13 horsepower and 10 kilowatts. Every Insight has a continuously variable transmission (CVT) and rolls on 15-inch tires. EX models have paddle shifters at the steering wheel.

While accelerating and in certain cruising situations, the electric motor adds power to the gas engine's output. To boost mileage, the IMA system also provides cylinder deactivation while decelerating, and an idle-stop feature when the car is stationary. An Ecological Drive Assist System, dubbed Eco Assist, can optimize vehicle operation in accord with driving conditions, and also provide feedback related to the individual driver's style. Pushing the dashboard ECON button enhances throttle control, CVT operation, idle-stop duration, and air-conditioner operation–all to extract the most distance from every drop of fuel.

© Source: automedia
We need your comments below >>

2010 Honda Insight – Video

With respect to the 2010 Honda Insight, Honda is guilty of copying no one but itself.
The Toyota Prius has this very arrangement. But so did the 2000-'06 Honda Insight and the 1988-'91 Honda CRX before it. That the 2010 Insight looks this way is no accident, because Yasunari Seki, chief engineer for the 2010 Honda Insight, made his name at Honda while working on the CRX HF. And that's just what the 2010 Honda Insight is, more or less: a hybrid version of the late Honda CRX HF, but with four doors, room for five passengers, up-to-date safety features and modern conveniences.

Honda wants the 2010 Insight to be affordable enough for almost anyone. And it wants the Insight to be the kind of hybrid that provides measureable benefits without introducing day-to-day eccentricities. To these ends, Honda has not developed an all-new hybrid system with dual electric motors and a complex series-parallel arrangement, like a Prius.

Official pricing is not due until we get closer to the new Insight's release date of April 22, 2009 (yes, that's Earth Day). But the base LX model's price is expected to come in well under $18,000. We figure that this fully optioned 2010 Honda Insight EX-Navi (EX with navigation) should cost less than $22,500 — at least $5,000 below a comparable Prius.

© Source: edmunds
We need your comments below >>

Honda Insight – video

After the official shots and technical details of the new Honda Insight, here is the official video of the new hybrid, up for competition in the field of the Toyota Prius. Just like its more famous rival, the Honda Insight is planning on production of 200,000 examples in 2009 in the North American market, with hopes to recoup from the crisis experienced by more traditional models.


The Insight price should be more convenient than the Prius, coming in at around 21,000 euros, compared to 26,000 in the American market. In April we will see the model on the European market. The Honda Insight has a 1.3 litre petrol engine at 88hp and 123 Nm, combined with an electric unit of nearly 14hp and 103 Nm, with average consumption sitting at 4.4 litres/100km, and only 101 g/km of CO2 emissions.

© Source: eurocarblog
We need your comments below >>