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]

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]