Honda Insight 2003 News

The Honda Civic Hybrid has received technology upgrades, leather trim and two new colours... and a new price of $33,990 (flat paint). Honda's second-generation Insight has also been repositioned, with VT-i price reduced to $26,990 (flat paint) and the VTi-L to $30,490 (flat paint).The current Civic Hybrid receives satellite navigation with SUNA live traffic updates, DVD player, reversing camera with guidelines, Smart Entry and push-button start, daytime running lights and vanity mirror illumination. It also features leather seats in a grey trim and has two new colour options: White Orchid Pearlescent and Carnelian Red Pearlescent ($575 for metallic and pearlescent paint).The five-door Honda Insight hatch with its intuitive cockpit and dual-zone dash features a CVT for smooth and responsive acceleration, Creep Aid System to prevent roll-back momentarily when starting on an incline and of course Honda's unique ECON button with ECO Assist, helping the driver get the most out of each tank of petrol. 

The Insight nameplate was the first hybrid launched in Australia, and the new one sells for a relatively affordable $29,990 for the VTi and $33,490 for the VTi-L (CVT with flat paint only). Both have a five-star ANCAP safety rating and Honda says it is one of the best value hybrids on the market. Exterior changes have been made to the grille and bumper  and at the rear there's a thinner tailgate spoiler and other minor tweaks. The rear combination lamp has also been redesigned for a more sophisticated appearance. Low-rolling resistance tyres have been fitted to redesigned alloy wheels in both variants to improve fuel economy. The VTi receives LED daytime running lights, integrated Bluetooth with steering-wheel mounted controls and new door mirrors with side turn indicators. The VTi-L receives the same LED daytime running lights and a leather gear shift knob. Inside changes are minor but  headroom in the back seats has been increased by 20mm by redesigning the hatch lining and seat design. Fuel efficiency for the Insight has been improved by 6.5 percent. It now uses 4.3 l/100km (combined urban/extra urban), resulting in a 5.5 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions. Improvements to the engine and transmission, greater aerodynamics, a power-saving electric fuel pump and the low-rolling resistance tyres all contribute to Insight's improved fuel consumption and lower carbon dioxide emissions.  

Economy and performance are words that seldom go together. But in the UK a car that easily achieves 2.8litres/100km (100mpg), has just been banned from rallying because it's too fast. The cigar-shaped petrol-electric Honda Civic Insight hybrid competes in the Formula 1000 rally championship, and has been asked to withdraw when rivals complained after it took two wins and a second place from the first three rounds of the 2011 championship. They said it had unfair advantage. However, the car, developed by the Lancaster-based Oaktec team, is no ordinary Insight. It has been developed over a six-year period, and in 2006 it took five Class-A victories in Formula 1000 and won the championship. What's more, it car uses CVT, which the firm found gave the best method of power delivery with a hybrid drivetrain. After a chat with the UK motorsport folk, Oaktec boss Paul Andrews commented: "It was a bit of a shock when I got the call. After six years of hard work we finally had our chance for a bit of glory. But I fully understand the perspective of the organisers and their wish not to spoil the sport for the other drivers." So the world's greenest rally car might soon run in another category.