The all-new Insight was shown to journalists in Europe for the first time at a press event in Valencia.
About all-new Insight · 5-door family hatchback with Honda’s petrol-electric IMA system
· Combines practicality and flexibility in an affordable package
· Low emissions and great fuel economy based on real world driving conditions
· Unique Eco Assist driver coaching system that can help any driver maximize fuel economy
· Sleek, sporty and aerodynamic design influenced by FCX Clarity
· Practical and spacious interior to accommodate five passengers
· Flexible and class-leading load space of 408-liters
· Generous value for money
· Honda’s renowned build quality and low running costs
· Excellent occupant and pedestrian crash protection
Honda first marketed the original Insight Hybrid in 1999 and has been working on the technology for almost two decades.
The motivation behind pursuing this technology is fundamental and basic, avoiding waste. In simple terms, the energy from braking on a car with a conventional drivetrain is lost by being converted into energy that disappears into the atmosphere as heat and noise. The task Honda’s R&D engineers set themselves was to harness this energy to the benefit of the customer and the environment.
One decade on, Honda is launching a new Insight that takes those core principles and extends them, allowing a customer to carry their family and luggage in an efficient, flexible and affordable vehicle.
The Direction of the Honda Insight
The aim was to make petrol-electric technology available to more people by developing a family hybrid car that was more affordable.
The Insight is a 5-door hatchback with Honda’s IMA hybrid system that offers low-emission, fuel efficient motoring in a practical, no-compromise offering -to make an attractive, lower cost package.
Honda expects this car to have a significant impact on the industry. Because the Insight will be more affordable to more people, it makes cleaner car technology accessible to a completely new group of car buyers - opening the hybrid market to a new section of society.
That’s why the main aim in the development to reduce the size, complexity and price of components and systems to drive that final retail price down. Honda wants to bring hybrid technology to a wider market, but knows that the price, or the perceived price, of cleaner cars has prevented some car buyers from even looking at them seriously. Honda wants those people who’ve never considered buying a hybrid car to try one for size.
It is one thing to develop an ultra-green product, that only the affluent can afford, but in its quest to be a company that society wants to exist, Honda challenged its engineers to build a hybrid for everyone.
Making it Affordable
The Insight is the culmination of over 20 years of hybrid development and more than 35 years of lower impact petrol engine development, which started with the CVCC engine in 1972.
That experience and technical knowledge has enabled Honda to develop the components and parts in our IMA system so they can be produced at a lower cost.
Honda has also been building production hybrids for a decade. In that time, a lot has been learnt about the production of electric motors and other key parts of the hybrid system. This understanding has led to improved production equipment and techniques, which will reduce production costs. And because the major hybrid components are produced in-house, this also helps to control overall costs.
“Our engineers have shown great tenacity and skill in reducing the cost of our IMA system to allow us to reduce the build costs of the Insight. By using so many components that are manufactured in-house, we have the ability in the market to continuously refine our processes in a way an outside supplier might not.” Yasunari Seki, Insight Large Project Leader
The plan to produce and sell a much larger number of hybrid cars than before leads to economies of scale, and thus a lower final cost per unit. To achieve these numbers, a new electric motor production line has been added to the Suzuka factory, in Japan, which will double its per hour production capacity for IMA motors.
There are also specific product developments that helped keep the costs down:
1. 95 percent of the IMA unit was redesigned to reduce both size and cost
2. It was a bespoke model, so any additional costs required to ‘shoe-horn’ technology into an existing model (eg. Civic Hybrid) were eliminated
3. The platform and chassis share many components with that of the new Jazz
Cost-saving does not imply cutting corners or compromising on performance or durability. Engineers have focused on finding engineering solutions to drive costs down, developing the most efficient hybrid technology at the lowest possible cost to the customer.
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