A New Insight Brings Hybrids to the Masses

[james]

Honda Motor Co. wants to challenge the eco-supremacy of the Toyota Prius and bring hybrids to the masses with the dirt-cheap gas-electric Insight hatchback it unveiled today at the Paris Motor Show.

Although the Japanese automaker was the first to sell hybrids in America when it rolled out the original Insight in 1999, it's been choking on Toyota's dust since the Prius arrived in 2001. The green set has bought more than 1 million of them, and Toyota holds 79 percent of the global market for gas-electric vehicles. Honda bets it can get a bigger piece of that pie by taking hybrids into..

from Wired

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

More Pictures via LeftLane

[Kagetsu]

I quite like it actually... It looks like a nice little car... The original Insight was a pretty nice little package too... certainly a lot nicer finish then the Prius.

[Behan]

I don't have any stats but Prius must be one of the best selling models in Japan now. The competition will undoubtedly be good for consumers.

[james]

I don't have any stats but Prius must be one of the best selling models in Japan now. The competition will undoubtedly be good for consumers.

i have a prius and quite like it, though it's by no means lived up to its initial promises. and yeah, they're everywhere. unfortunately, the vast majority of them are driven by a certain demographic i'd just as soon no have to share the road with.

i'll fully concede that it's not the most .. stylish of cars but it's a very practical vehicle. went from here (buttfuck nowhere, shimane) to kix and back, then about an hour out from home and half-way back again before filling up. about 850 km on the trip odomoder when i did and maybe 2l left in the tank.

this new honda insight looks very interesting and also very promising, given that toyota is raising the price of the prius and can't meet demand; honda could do very well by it. i'd like to see them succeed as it's good to have competetion. would probably drive one myself given the chance.

a lot of people have commented on how similar it looks and how it almost looks as though the design has been "lifted" from the prius, but i think a lot of that basically comes down to aerodynamics.

[Greji]

but it's a very practical vehicle. went from here (buttfuck nowhere, shimane) to kix and back, then about an hour out from home and half-way back again before filling up. about 850 km on the trip odomoder when i did and maybe 2l left in the tank.

Right now that's pretty appealing. My Prado Land Cruiser gets about 3 liters to the kilometer.....

[Kagetsu]

I get about 350km's to a tank in my Supra, on a good day...
Usually it's closer to four or five sets of lapsprints, as that's what I used it for... before the engine died.
If they had a rear wheel drive hybrid, I might be convinced... None of this lexus overpriced stuff we suffer from in Australia.

[james]