With the success that Toyota has had with its Prius hybrid sedan, you could be forgiven for forgetting that Honda actually beat them to market here in the states with the Insight. For whatever reason, though, the Insight never became the green-bearer that Honda had hoped. Still, the name is not associated with any negativity, so Honda might be considering reviving it for its upcoming dedicated hybrid model. We applaud this idea and hope it turns out to be more than just a rumor.

Honda's new hybrid model should more directly compete with the Prius as it will be sport a four-door body style and be easily identifiable as a green vehicle. Expected to use a 1.3 liter engine along with the Integrated Motor Assist which Honda uses for all of its hybrids, early estimates for fuel mileage are in the 50-55 mile per gallon range. Much of the structure is said to be derived from the Civic, which could account for its expected price of under $19,000. Also expected are nickel metal hydride batteries which would help keep pricing low. With rumors such as these, we'll be hard pressed to wait until its expected debut at next year's Detroit Auto Show, which, incidentally, is when Toyota will unveil its next-gen Prius. Game on.

[Source: Auto Observer]

Some see the success of the Toyota Prius, compared to such competitors as the Civic Hybrid, as proof that green cars need to look different from their normal siblings. While it may be a bit early on in the game to make this assessment, Ford's North American director of car design, Pat Schiavone, suggests that there could be a trend towards "green" styling cues. For instance, cars like the Honda Insight and GM EV1 are easily recognizable for their teardrop shape and covered wheels, both of which help with the vehicles' high efficiency. While nobody that I can think of considers covered wheels "sexy," Schiavone indicates that could change, saying, "This sort of science-project look could end up sexy, or perceived sexy." We've seen some rolling science projects on these pages... although often supremely practical, not one of them has been all that sexy. Also mentioned as earmarked for the future are the wings and spoilers used by Indy racers in the 1970s. Now that could be pretty cool!

[Source: AutoWeek]

There is a huge aftermarket contingency turning small Hondas into performance cars by replacing their engines with larger versions from other vehicles. We're sure that you've noticed the various Civics and Integras buzzing around town, and soon those Civics could be Insights if this vehicle starts a new trend. Created by LHT Performance in Florida, this particular Insight features the K20A engine featured in various Honda and Acura models in both the U.S. and abroad. The conversion, of course, removes the Integrated Motor Assist that made the Insight a hybrid in the first place.

The same thing that makes the Insight such an efficient vehicle, its light weight, also makes it an ideal performance car. According to LHT, the car has close to 200 horsepower and scoots along very quickly. Fuel mileage isn't quite as good as a stock Insight, as you might imagine, but is still quite respectable at nearly 50 miles per gallon on average. We hope that removing the IMA engine from the Insight doesn't become a common sight, but we can appreciate the work that went into making this one.

[Source: LHT Performance]

Hybrid car shoppers will have more choices than ever before in 2009 when Honda releases their new Prius fighter and the CR-Z hybrid sports car. Toyota has also publicly said that their next-generation Prius will go on sale in '09. Honda hopes to sell 100,000 of their dedicated hybrid family sedan in North America, and hopes to double that number when worldwide sales are tallied. Details remain sketchy, but as we've reported before, the CR-Z model is separate from their hybrid family sedan. They hope to price the sedan between the Fit and the Civic Hybrid.

The CR-Z is intended to be a sporty hybrid, and the weight of the battery is a big concern. Honda COO Takanobu Ito was interviewed at the Tokyo Motor Show and declined to comment on whether Honda plans on a lithium ion battery for their new hybrid models, but that would make a big dent in the weight problem.

Related:

• It's not just the FCX; the CR-Z is entering production soon as well

[Source: Auto News (sub. req'd)]

Just earlier today we brought you a story about Honda's new dedicated hybrid model, which would be a more mainstream attempt than the Insight was. Will that model be Honda's CR-Z concept car which was just revealed in Tokyo? Ostensibly a replacement for the now defunct, but much loved, CRX model, the CR-Z adds a hybrid drivetrain to that car's proven formula. Although the Insight was never intended to be sporty, the size and proportions were there from the start. Of course, wider tires and less extreme aerodynamics would likely reduce the fuel consumption numbers a bit, but if more people were to purchase the vehicle, the overall impact could in fact be better.

Take a look at all of our pictures of the car and start thinking about carving up your daily commute with a sporty hybrid. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?



All live photos ©2007 Damon Lavrinc / Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Honda via Autoblog]

As mentioned by Insight owner and hypermiler Randall Burkhalter in the first Hybrid Fest video posted, the MIMA system is an electronic retrofit which allows the driver to manually control the Integrated Motor Assist in the Honda Insight. At Hybrid Fest 2007, I got to meet and interview Mike Dabrowski, who invented the system and is building and selling them to Insight owners.

The simplicity and the results of the system are remarkable, however, Mike is running out of the control boards that make it possible. He's working for cheap because he really wants to do the green thing (check out his personal Insight) and do what he can for the environment, but if people aren't going to order them any longer, her can't invest the money into having more boards made. So if you own an Insight and want to maximize its efficiency, call up this self-proclaimed "mad scientist" now, and thank me later.

Besides this one example, I can't think of too many races that a Honda Insight has taken part in. Well, I know that there are some "Insights" in name only that are set up for drag racing for Import races, but they don't really count. But, if the race was all about fuel economy, then the good old Insight certainly stands a much better chance. In fact, it would win - at least it won this example of just such a race by averaging 74.9 miles per gallon over a distance of 25 miles.

"It was a pretty outstanding race," according to Bill Champagne, who organized the event. "We hope to do it bigger and better in the fall," he said. That would be pretty easy to do with the backing of Toyota, and reportedly, they are interested in sponsoring another race like this. In case you were wondering, the loser was a Volvo station wagon which only managed 20.9 miles per gallon. That car was included as a control, to represent an average sized gasoline-powered vehicle driven over the same roads under the same conditions. Sure, it may not be as exciting as racing a Tesla, but for our readers who are more interested in going far than going fast, this race may be more to their liking.

Related:

• HybridFest 2007 VIDEO 1 - Hypermiler Randall Burkhalter and his Honda Insight
• Honda speaks again of reviving their line with a new dedicated hybrid

[Source: Norwich Bulletin]

Randall Burkhalter is the proud owner of a Honda Insight - the first exclusive hybrid model to the United States. It is not an ordinary Insight, however. Randall has fitted it with the MIMA system - a favorite tool of the hypermiler. It basically slaps an M in front of the IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) Honda hybrid system, standing for 'Manual.' This gives the driver total manual control over how much motor assist or regeneration you are using at any given time with the use of a joystick. There is a small joystick in the cupholder in the center console, some control buttons on the stick shift, an LED display in the rear viewed through the rearview mirror, and the rest is all you. The system is actually quite reasonable at about $600 and consists of a few wiring harnesses that work around the factory system, a couple custom control boards, and that's basically it. The result, with practice and a change in "driver attitude" as Randall calls it, is an average of around 95 mpg. Remember, no mechanical modifications are being made, just some electronic add-ons.

Randall commutes 80 miles round trip each day, and goes to the gas station once a month. I'll just let that sink in for a second.... So that one-time $600 investment, for you lucky Insight owners, you can make back in savings probably in about six months. If your feet tend to go towards the "hot-rod performance" (which would likely mean you don't own an Insight anyway), make sure you adjust that driver attitude first - and quit complaining about not getting those EPA estimates - take a page from the books of these hypermilers.

More videos on the way. Keep watching ABG!

Remember the Honda Insight? I'm sure you remember it, but, what do you think of when you hear the name? Compare the public perception of the Toyota Prius to the Honda Insight for a moment, and you will see where I am going with this. Honda would like to capture some of that green image back. As it stands now, Honda is probably the greenest automaker, and they have the highest average fuel economy of all the major automakers, but Toyota often comes to peoples minds when they think of an automaker trying to have a positive impact on the environment. I am not suggesting that Toyota should not be considered a green automaker at all, what I am saying is that Honda deserves more credit for their Insight than they seem to get. Regardless of whether you agree with that assessment or not, Honda would like to capitalize on the fact that they were first on the market in the United States with a hybrid vehicle. They believe that one of the reasons that the Prius outsells their own hybrid models is because it looks different than their other models, and it is a dedicated model of its own. Honda might just go that route again with a replacement for the Insight, with the goal of stealing some sales from Toyota. The new model would likely sell for less than $25,000 and be added in addition to Honda's existing hybrid Accord and Civic.

Here is a refresher in case you forgot all about the Insight...

[Source: USA Today]

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.



[Source: AutoCar]

Newsweek is reporting that Honda is planning to re-enter the "hybrid-only" market that it left when it stopped making the Honda Insight. Currently, the only hybrid-only model sold in the U.S. is the Toyota Prius. All of the other hybrid cars sold in America are models that are based on existing platforms; hybrid versions of models already in the automakers stable of vehicles.

The new model is to be introduced by 2010, according to Honda. They are looking to build a larger sized model than the Insight to battle head-to-head with the Prius. The model is not expected to offer plug-in capability. Indications are that the vehicle will be sized similar to the Honda Fit, but offer room inside similar to a mid-size vehicle. They hope to remind people by then that they were an early adopter of hybrids when they introduced the Insight to America.

Honda hopes to sell as many as 100,000 of the new model annually, which would almost match how many Priuses (what is plural for Prius? Pri, Prii, Price (like dice), Preese (like geese) -- OK, back on topic) were sold this year.

"We're going to take a dedicated hybrid platform and give it great functionality, great style and make a no-compromises high-fuel-economy car," according to John Mendel, Honda senior vice president for product development. "It will have the highest fuel economy you can get for a hybrid in that (size) of car."

Which will come first, the FCX, as shown in the picture above, or the new Honda hybrid?

The ground-breaking Honda Insight is no longer in production, and only a few units are left for sale north of the border. The Insight was the first gas-electric hybrid and continues to turn heads with its futuristic styling. It's also the leading gas-miser on the market. Not many Insights have been sold in Canada. The best year was 2000 with 155 units. Last year there were only 5 buyers. For those who want something different, the Canadian Insight has a 5-speed manual transmission, compared to the CVT offered in the U.S. LIke the Yankee version, however, the Canadian Insight won't run on electrical power alone.

[Source: Toronto Star]

American Honda Motor has received its ruling from the Internal Revenue Service on the allowable tax credits for its hybrid cars for the 2006 tax year, and it's good news for car buyers.

The 2006 Civic Hybrid (shown at right accepting its World Green Car award) gets the biggest boost, with a $2,100 tax credit, while the '06 Accord Hybrid and the automatic transmission '06 Insight are eligible for credits of $1,300 and $1,450, respectively.

Only the IRS and your tax accountant know for sure what tax credit you may be eligible for, so check it out before you sign on the dotted line for that new hybrid.

[Source: American Honda]

Seven vehicles produced by Honda Motor Company have achieved certification from the U.S. government that they're fit for tax credits, the Internal Revenue Service reported on Thursday. In a roundabout way that would be tedious to explain here, the perk generally cuts off after Honda has sold its 60,000th hybrid vehicle. Vehicles in question include the 2005 and 2006 Civic, Accord and Insight models. Tax breaks range from $650 to $3,400, according to the release, which you'll find after the jump.

[Source: Internal Revenue Service]