Nearly a decade ago, Honda introduced the world to the Insight hybrid coupe, the first in a line of next-gen fuel efficient cars. With a sleek body that boasts one of the most aerodynamic designs of all time and a combined 83 horsepower from its gasoline-electric drive train, the first generation Insight remains as a major milestone in the development of hybrid technology.

Now, with the national release of the 2010 Honda Insight only days away, we wait anxiously as new information regarding the pricing of the Insight comes trickling in. Not only is it a hybrid with cutting-edge technology like the Eco Assist fuel economy monitoring system and regenerative braking system, but the new Insight will apparently undercut the base price of Toyota’s Prius by $2,000 or more!

That’s quite a savings when you consider that the Insight and the Prius offer comparable fuel economy (40 city/43 highway mpg for the Insight and 48 city/45 highway mpg for the Prius). The Insight’s 4-cylinder hybrid-electric power plant delivers a combined 111 horsepower, allowing for better acceleration over the previous generation. Low rolling resistance tires combined with the car’s ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.28 allow the Insight to cruise effortlessly along the highway.

Seating for five, as opposed to only two in the previous generation, gives the Insight yet another level of practicality. As more details surface about the 2010 Honda Insight, we can only imagine what else Honda may have up their environmentally conscious sleeves. But much like the launch of the first Insight, you can expect whatever Honda has in store to have a tremendous impact on the modern automotive landscape.

Tags: 2010 insight, fuel economy, Hybrid

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 9th, 2009 at 11:15 am and is filed under New Cars, honda. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.