Honda has announced it will debut the Insight Prototype at the 2018 North American International Auto Show as a precursor to the all-new 2019 Honda Insight, which “will offer premium style and high fuel efficiency in a sophisticated and spacious five-passenger sedan.”
The Insight will launch in summer of 2018 and will be positioned above the Civic and below the award-winning Accord in the automaker’s passenger car lineup. It will use Honda’s latest generation two-motor hybrid system, continuing the legacy in began in 1999 when it became America’s first hybrid vehicle.
“With its sophisticated styling, dynamic stance, ample interior space and best-in-class performance, the all-new Insight embodies Honda’s approach to creating electrified vehicles without the typical tradeoffs,” said Henio Arcangeli, Jr., senior vice president for Honda sales. ”You won’t have to be an electrification advocate to appreciate the new Insight—it’s a great car in its own right, independent of what’s happening under the hood.”
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The touted two-motor hybrid system is the same currently used by the Honda Accord Hybrid: one of the motors is used to accelerate the car while the other starts the engine and charges the first motor. The Accord Hybrid already gets an EPA-estimated 50 mpg combined (50 mpg city and 49 mpg highway). Given the Insight’s smaller dimensions, we can probably expect even better fuel economy from the smaller Insight, likely close to 60 mpg.
“At the 2017 North American International Auto Show we announced our Honda Electrification Initiative with the intention to make two-thirds of Honda’s global vehicle sales electrified vehicles by 2030,” said Arcangeli, “With the Insight launching later in 2018 as the fifth electrified vehicle brought to market over the past year, we’re demonstrating our commitment to that goal.”
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