Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Paris Motor Show, Hatchbacks, Honda
Honda's next hybrid could revive Insight name
Click above for high-res gallery of the Honda CR-Z concept
First Honda said it was going to press the reset button on its hybrid efforts and come out with something bolder than the Civic Hybrid. Then it laid out plans for a number of hybrids that would be priced considerably more aggressively than the Toyota Prius. One of the concepts, the funky CR-Z, has already got people abuzz.
More details have emerged about the first hybrid to appear, a 5-door hatch with unique styling that's based on the Fit, but three inches taller and one inch wider. It will use the Civic Hybrid's Integrated Motor Assist technology and mate that car's 1.3-liter engine with 94 hp to a 15kW electric motor powered by a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack. Fuel economy, according to insider predictions, will be somewhere around 71 - 82 miles per gallon, but that's based on Japanese domestic use. Expect a drop for U.S. comparison.
Honda is considering a return to the name "Insight" for its first new hybrid, which we're all for. The Insight was a brilliant little ride, and we never understood why Honda let it go. Though it was low on practicality with only two seats and not much storage, it was a purpose-built vehicle for big mpg numbers. This potential new Insight will be Honda's global hybrid, and the company expects to sell 100,000 of them in the U.S. annually. Add this to the other three hybrids Honda is planning, and Honda's hybrid future -- assuming it delivers as promised -- looks quite bright.
Gallery: Honda CR-Z Concept
[Source: Auto Observer via eGM Car Tech]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Injected 8:32AM (6/17/2008)
Three inches taller than the fit??? And only one inch wider??? The Fit already looks like a shoebox turned on it's side. Any taller and it'll flip over backing out of the driveway. Car makers need a low, wide coupe hybrid.
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Jared 8:57AM (6/17/2008)
I don't need wide. And I don't need something as big as a Fit. A two-seater Insight 2 commuter car would work for me.
s13hybrid 9:18AM (6/17/2008)
I agree. Give me a better looking insight (same size) and I would be all over that car. I would definitly buy a car that looked like the CR-Z concept. (Just noticed the beefy brembos, sweeeet).
Mel. R 10:28AM (6/17/2008)
Why would you need "beefy Brembos" on a car that doesn't even turn 100hp?
s13hybrid 11:31AM (6/17/2008)
You don't need them, I just think they are sweet. Although I don't see how big breaks are bad (except for the weight, but these are probably aluminum and would weigh less than the brakes they probably will get).
Soul Shinobi 11:56AM (6/17/2008)
I'd say the brakes on that concept are more of a statement of the car's intended sportiness. However, that doesn't mean they car might not need them, many modern hybrids are no slouches!
tyson 2:29PM (6/17/2008)
New 5dr hybrid and CR-Z ((or whatever its going to be called) are SEPARATE developments as far as we heard from Honda CEO Fukui.
Reviving Insight name and talking about 5dr hybrid and showing a pic of the CR-Z is confusing and inconsistent. Bad reporting.
Dude 9:03AM (6/17/2008)
Taller and wider than a Fit? That would be the Odyssey.
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Torrent 12:18PM (6/17/2008)
+1.
I'd stick with CR-Z.
John E. Johnson 9:12AM (6/17/2008)
With less than 14,000 Insights sold in the US over 7 years, it's not as if the nameplate carries any real brand awareness. I think the name should be reserved for a future iteration of Honda's ultimate fuel-economy statement vehicle, something the 5-passenger Global Small Hybrid compromise will not be.
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icu812ru469 9:14AM (6/17/2008)
I'm all for "Insight"... the first and only real hybrid by the Japanese. Not these wannabees like hybrid SUV getting 25mpg... come one... 25 opposed to 22, WOW OH!!!! We need something in 70mpg range atleast...
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Jen 10:42AM (6/17/2008)
Insight was an ugly car, this one is much better looking for the sake of marketing, please don't call it Insight. It will ruin the sales. If I had to pick between this one and Prius, well I will pick this one for the look and design specially the rim (Honda has always used the ugliest rims on their hybrids since Insight), and I will pick Prius for the practicality. Looks like this car doesn't have a lot of trunk space. However, if I had have another car, and just need a second car to scoot around town, then I will definitely buy this one.
Jen
www.GeeeWhiz.com................an Ebay Buyer Feedback Alternative
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Red 11:44AM (6/17/2008)
Prioritize much?
Insight mpg based on actual owner experience = 65-70 mpg
Prius mpg based on actual owner experience = 34-45 mpg
Try actually reading the article instead of staring at the pretty pictures. There will be FOUR variants of the car, including at least 3 that are practical.
That "Toyota Marketing is Always Right" shirt looks great on you...
Soul Shinobi 12:05PM (6/17/2008)
Red is right here, mate. Like icu812ru469 said above, the Insight is the only 'real' hybrid in my mind too. It's a shame Toyota took Honda's public image of economy, because Honda really are the people who know how to do it.
Philip 10:54AM (6/17/2008)
Back in 85 the Honda CRX HF had 49 city 54 highway ratings, Why not drop that 8 valve motor into this CRZ, surely that would be economical to produce with decent MPG ratings, I figured someone would do that to the Insight... Much better mpg than a 2 seater Smart car...
Drop the Insight name, It wasn't a real success, Go with CR-Z.... or reuse the Beat name...
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Jared 11:08AM (6/17/2008)
That engine won't meet the current emissions regulations.
Soul Shinobi 12:05PM (6/17/2008)
Those cars car still around though, my friend gets a solid 50 mpg with spirited driving. :) More of an issue is that the CRX was by far the least safe car Honda has made in the past 20 years.
Sean 12:37PM (6/17/2008)
Let's not go back to the Beat name
Because I know someone would park a Honda Beat next to a Dodge Magnum and use it for some kind of twisted contraceptive advertisement.
CalGuy 11:42AM (6/17/2008)
I always wonder if the development costs associated with creating a hybrid engine/system could be re-assigned to making cars lighter (aluminum body panels, lighter seats, less superfluous doo-dads, component redesign etc) and incorporate simpler engines like that which powered the 1992-on Honda Civic VX. They were light, relatively safe, roomy, highly efficient cars with great mpg numbers.
If everyone says weight is the culprit for today's lousy mpg numbers, this seems the obvious path.
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Soul Shinobi 12:05PM (6/17/2008)
I think you're right to at least some degree. Regular gasoline engines do have their limitations, however. But I wholeheartedly wish cars like the Civic HF (the fuel economy trim level here) were much much more common. Light weight and good design need to be more of priority.