After concept cars and spy shots and teases of information, the new Honda Insight has broken cover.
Honda promises a Paris auto show debut for the new hybrid vehicle, which revives the Insight nameplate formerly applied to the two-seat hybrid vehicle that inaugurated the gas-electric class in the U.S. in the late 1990s.
Honda says the Insight's shape bears the hallmarks of its larger, fuel-cell-powered FCX Clarity, but it's hard not to see some echoes of the Toyota Prius in its greenhouse--though the front end is quite Civic-like in its appearance. The new Insight seats five, Honda says, and the rear seats fold for improved cargo access.
The important innovation in the new Insight is a much less complex, much more affordable hybrid drivetrain, the company says. It will allow the Insight to be sold for a price significantly lower than today's hybrids, Honda says. The automaker expects to sell 200,000 of the vehicles each year worldwide, with 100,000 heading to the U.S. from its Suzuka, Japan, factory. Combined with a production version of the CR-Z coupe hybrid concept, the new family of hybrids could swell to 500,000 sales annually.
The new 2010 Honda Insight bows at the Paris show on October 2, and goes on sale in the U.S. in the spring of 2009.
Honda promises a Paris auto show debut for the new hybrid vehicle, which revives the Insight nameplate formerly applied to the two-seat hybrid vehicle that inaugurated the gas-electric class in the U.S. in the late 1990s.
Honda says the Insight's shape bears the hallmarks of its larger, fuel-cell-powered FCX Clarity, but it's hard not to see some echoes of the Toyota Prius in its greenhouse--though the front end is quite Civic-like in its appearance. The new Insight seats five, Honda says, and the rear seats fold for improved cargo access.
The important innovation in the new Insight is a much less complex, much more affordable hybrid drivetrain, the company says. It will allow the Insight to be sold for a price significantly lower than today's hybrids, Honda says. The automaker expects to sell 200,000 of the vehicles each year worldwide, with 100,000 heading to the U.S. from its Suzuka, Japan, factory. Combined with a production version of the CR-Z coupe hybrid concept, the new family of hybrids could swell to 500,000 sales annually.
The new 2010 Honda Insight bows at the Paris show on October 2, and goes on sale in the U.S. in the spring of 2009.
