Next-Gen Insight Will Beat Prius in Fuel-Economy Says Honda CEO
Honda‘s newish Insight hybrid had a lot of buzz when it first launched, but in just a year it has since faded into oblivion. Sure it undercut the Prius in price, but it didn’t get near the mpgs, and wasn’t the sort of dynamic drive that people have come to expect from a Honda. We didn’t hate the car, but we did find it to be lacking in the sort of engineering prowess Honda prides itself in. Our feelings were echoed by the industry and consumers, who opted for Toyota’s more efficient (if more expensive) Prius at a 5 to 1 rate.
Honda CEO Takanobu Ito has recognized this issue and an overall complacency at the Japanese automaker and has vowed to do something about it. Stating quite frankly that he’s not “satisfied,” with the efforts of the company, he has vowed that the next generation Insight will top the Prius in fuel economy. Currently the Insight gets just 40/43 mpg (city/highway) compared to the Prius at 51/48 mpg. Ito is also urging haste, telling Honda’s engineers to bring the car to market quickly – suggesting that the current Insight may not last for a full four or five year cycle.
To out-do the Prius in fuel economy Honda is working on a two-mode hybrid system (like the one found in the Prius), and will likely do away with the out-dated Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) setup it currently uses. In addition,
In addition, Honda is developing a new hybrid system for large cars, involving two large electric motors, one which charges the battery, the other which gives the gasoline engine a power boost. The system will be used on an upcoming Acura hybrid, as well as minivans and mid-size cars.
[Source: HybridCars]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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My Insight gets good mileage. True, I drive conservatively, with the Eco enabled and watching the accerleration/braking meter, but I have always tried to accelerate carefully, and coast to stops. I regularly get > 55 miles to the gallon. So I am very please with my Insight...and I don't think it needs to be any bigger. (I don't like backing up, though)
Hey, Honda, how about a Insight Station wagon.