Honda Insight News

Icy winds and snow are blowing across Motown, dumping on the auto capital of the world at a time when American politicians are applying relentless pressure for a major shift in the way that General M

The Honda Insight hybrid is the clear star of the show, despite the best efforts of dream merchants from Lamborghini, Ferrari and Mercedes- Benz and new production front-runners from Audi, Alfa Romeo, Renault, General Motors and all the rest.Even Australia had a share of the action, thanks to the Chevy Orlando concept which was under lights on the GM stand after being built by the dream merchants in the design department at Fishermans Bend.But nothing could top the Insight, which is a petrol-electric superstar which will be run out around the globe. It will come to Australia with a starting price likely to be less than $30,000 - more than $7000 better than the benchmark Toyota Prius.It revives the name from Honda's first hybrid in a package which looks a lot like a Prius but takes its IMA running gear - with a 1.3-litre petrol engine and battery pack - from the company's existing Civic hybrid.There were plenty of other hybrids in Paris, including the production version of the Mercedes S400, but none had the elegance or affordability of the Insight.Still, it had to beat a lot of good cars to draw the crowds - including Ford's global president Alan Mullaly, who was tossed out of the driver's seat by a security guard - on a day when carmakers did everything they could to offset global doom reflected in everything from tightening consumer credit for car loans in Europe to the latest dismal sales results in the USA.It is never easy to pick the future showroom successes at a show, but the latest Renault Megane has dumped the frumpy bum and should do well in Australia, just like the funky Alfa Romeo MiTo coming next year.And no-one would bet against the all-wheel drive Mini Clubman and BMWX1 concept which will both become production cars in double-quick time.And the rest of the Paris hopefuls? How about these verdicts from Gorden Wagener, the new head of design at Mercedes-Benz who created the great looking ConceptFASCINATION coupe-wagon for the show:Lamborghini Estoque: "It was surprising to me. I'm don't know that I like that."Alfa Romeo MiTo: "I was pleasantly surprised. I didn't like the Ferrari California at all."Mazda Kiyora: "I am a little tired of all these sculptures at every show. If you only do a sculpture you are not doing a car."Audi A1: "If you take away the gimmicks we are looking at a very conventional car." 

Honda and Citroen have already presented a pictorial preview of their hero cars for the 2008 Paris Motor Show.They will fight with an all-electric Nissan number and a diesel Mazda city car for major bragging rights.Honda has the front running with a car that looks like a Prius clone and carries the Insight name of its first — unsuccessful — petrol-electric production car.This new Insight will break new ground by “providing an affordable hybrid to an expanded number of customers craving great fuel economy and great value,” says Honda president Takeo Fukui.Insight II is a big change from Honda's Civic hybrid and is planned to be much cheaper than any other hybrid on show.Honda is calling it a “family hybrid concept”. It is said to be smaller than the Civic but still capable of carrying five people inside its hatchback body.Despite the visual connection to the Toyota, Honda says Insight II's styling is based on the the FCX Clarity, the company's hydrogen-powered fuel cell car. It aims to sell 200,000 Insights a year and says the new hybrid powerhouse will be followed by a sporty hybrid based on the CR-Z concept car, a Jazz hybrid and a new Civic hybrid.Citroen, however, is not making any production claims for its Hypnos, which looks like a one-off show car. It has a great looking crossover body and the French carmaker says “a powerful sensory experience awaits the driver and passenger, taking them into the realm of pure magic”.The coupe body is packed with petrol-electric technology that is claimed to make the car quick and enjoyable, while returning better than 5 litres per 100km with carbon emissions of less than 120g/km of CO2. 

It is not the first time cars have been treated as art.

Honda is going down the sporty coupe road with its born-again Insight hybrid.Toyota is also investigating a petrol-electric Supra sporty, but the new Prius is being pictured as an eco-friendly family wagon.The first sign of the new direction was at the Geneva Motor Show when Toyota put the spotlight on the Hybrid X.It could easily be the next Prius — or something in the Prius family.Toyota's hybrid chief admits the company needs to find new ways of packaging hybrids to achieve its goal of selling one million a year.The original target was the year 2010, but that looks as likely as Toyota winning this year's Formula One championship.It has the Prius and it is almost certain to build the sporty car it showed at the Detroit Motor Show in January — either as a Supra or Celica — but it needs other stuff.That is where the Hybrid X comes in. Toyota Australia says the next Prius is not expected until 2009 and believes it will be previewed at the Tokyo Motor Show in October.So where does that leave the Hybrid X? It is a European project designed at Toyota's advanced styling studio, ED2, on a French hillside near Cannes.Toyota says it is the same size as a regular family car, which means slightly bigger than the Prius, but is intended to preview the "design language for future hybrid models" with a "four-seat open-space concept".Translating the corporate speak, what emerges is a Prius-style people mover with the clear potential to grow Toyota's hybrid family.The motor show machine has doors that open to reveal the cabin and a glass roof, which are impractical for production. But it has an updated "Synergy Drive' power system.Toyota says it will have a strong influence on the future direction of its hybrid vehicles.There is a formal style in the shape of the vehicle, but passengers' senses of sound, smell, sight and touch come into play, interior designer Laurent Bouzige says.The vehicle uses LED lamps for all lighting, graphic displays instead of instruments, and has electric doors, but still rolls on trendy 20-inch alloy wheels.It has drive-by-wire steering and even has a perfume diffuser.