Honda insight 2010

The New Honda Insight Hybrid Car

The Insight takes its name from Honda's first hybrid, a two-seat three-door hatchback produced from 1999 to 2006. The new Insight has interior instrumentation similar to that found in the Honda Civic, with a dual-layer instrument cluster that puts a digital speedometer on top, with an analog tachometer below. An LCD for navigation sits in the middle of the dashboard. The interior shows some nice back-lighting on the switchgear, although we don't know if this touch will find its way into the production vehicle.

The Insight should get fuel economy similar to the current Honda Civic Hybrid, according to Honda CEO Takeo Fukui, who emphasized that the new Insight will be one of the most affordable hybrids on the market. The Honda Civic Hybrid gets an EPA-rated 40 mpg city and 45 mpg highway, although in road-trip testing we achieved 46.6 mpg. The primary drive unit of the Insight is a four-cylinder 1.3-liter engine. The IMA system has been refined by Honda from earlier versions--its batteries and control unit are placed under the cargo area in the Insight.

TOKYO, Japan, November 20, 2008– Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced the development of the Ecological Drive Assist System, which combines three functions to enhance fuel economy: the ECON Mode utilizes harmonized control of the continuously variable transmission (CVT) and engine to support more fuel-efficient driving; the guidance function uses speedometer color to provide real-time guidance on fuel-efficient driving; and thescoring function provides feedback about current driving practices, as well as feedback on cumulative, long-term fuel-efficient driving. The world’s first* system to combine these three functions in a comprehensive approach to fuel economy enhancement, the Ecological Drive Assist System will be implemented for the first time on the all-new Insight hybrid vehicle in spring 2009.