Prius-killer alert: The new Honda Insight could be thousands less

In for one.

I'm much less interested in the looks than in the gas mileage.

No MPG numbers? No plug-in capability. Looks like a Prius with a different grill. Excuse me while I look for something noteworthy.

So Honda is fighting the Prius with... a Prius! Brilliant.

I don't understand this idea of hybrid buyers needing their hybrid to look like a hybrid. Where did this load of pundit rubbish get started? The Prius sells well because it is the best MPG car on the road that isn't a bloody Civic. It's not about being fashionable or flaunting your eco-ness, it's about saving gas...and not having to drive a Civic, which was styled by second graders.

I agree it looks alot like a Prius in the picture, especially the back half. I also agree that it doesn't really matter what it looks like. I have a sedan that gets about 23 mpg, but with fuel prices so high I'm in the market for a commuting car that is uunder $20k and will offer significant improvements in fuel efficiency. I don't really care what it looks like. I would love a plug-in, but if they are still a few years away I might buy one of these. Please auto-makers, bring on the fuel efficient cars. You literally can't build them fast enough. I'm sure there is already a waiting list for this one.

Are you sure that's not a picture of the Prius? There's not much differentiation in the body styling, so like others have said... fight the Prius, by releasing a... Prius! An no plug-in? What are they thinking?

I'll wait for the CR-Z coming out after this thing launches. A hybrid that does not look or feel like one

http://automobiles.honda.com/cr-z/

As the happy owner of a Prius for the past two years now, I can only say for those of you considering a hybrid - ABSOLUTELY DEFINITELY GET ONE!!! Even better that the premium is coming down! Let's save on gas, clean up our air, and end our reliance on middle eastern oil! I hope that all the auto makers step up and hear the clarion call.

Who cares what the damn thing looks like if it gets 50 mpg? Given that 40+ percent improvement over the highest-mpg cars on the road that AREN'T hybrids, it could look like George Bush and people would buy it.

Bring the BMW diesel over from Europe.It smokes a prius. 54.3 combined. I think it is a 120d, 200 horses 290 ft lbs that's a car

This is much needed for Honda to compete. Who are people kidding? One of the main reasons that the Prius is the king of the hybrid hill is because it screams... "I AM A PRIUS. MY OWNER CARES!!!.. just like all them celebs." Even if the Civic Hybrid got 5 mpg better than the Prius, it would still trail in sales. Not everyone that has a Prius truely cares about mpg, as evidence by the ones that are doing about 85 on the freeway while I cruise along at 65-70 in the slow lane, in my Civic Hybrid (since I don't want to scream "I drive a hybrid").

Why must the most fuel-efficient hybrids look so ugly? I think Priuses are extremely ugly; Honda could've done one up on Toyota by making their new hybrid a cheaper AND attractive car. Instead, if you want fuel efficiency, you have to drive a large, square egg.

Prius Killer?How so? Just because people will have a new choice in a sedan that gets excellent mileage? As if the Accord killed the Camry?

It's simply another choice out there, Toyota certainly isn't keeping up with demand for the Prius. I love my Prius, at five years old I figure I've got another five years before I'll probably be looking for a new car. I would sure love ot have more choices!

(And all these hybrids look similar because it's one solution to drag, which increased mileage without sacraficing power.)

Many people that drive hybrids want the world to know they're driving a hybric - an ostentatious display of eco-concern. This vehicle is clearly targeted at, and therefore styled for, this segment of auto consumers.

Just make it a Full Plug-In, Series Drive, BioDiesel Electric Hybrid that get better than 80 MPG and we could all tell the folks in the Middle East to take their oil and pound sand.

"I don't understand this idea of hybrid buyers needing their hybrid to look like a hybrid. Where did this load of pundit rubbish get started? "

-- Because for less money one can get a Yaris, Mini, recently discontinued Echo or other high mpg car with nearly equal real world mpg. For primarily city driving a small hybrid excels, but for most people the total number of city miles is small. Thus, tax credits, HOV lanes and snob factor make up the difference.

Not to mention the one person I know who owns a hybrid. She lives in a 5000sf house -- all for one person (well, not counting the maid), which has a glassed in sunroom using about as much fuel itself as an Escalade. Their income was from owning a nuclear reactor engineering firm.
You tell me how the hybrid fits in this picture.

I don't understand why these can't easily be made plug-ins. There has to be a set of wires from the brakes that when doing the regen trick push power into the battery. Just put a couple of heavy duty leads that lead to a 110 plug with some electronics to step up / step down the power/amps and away you go ... right ?

bc, the reason a hybrid trumps a diesel, well at least in LA, is the fact that it shuts down at a stop. there is always stop and go traffic on surface streets and highways all over LA. now if they combine a diesel and a hybrid, then that would be something to talk about. as for the design, the front end looks nice with cues from the FCX, but back end could be less prius-ish.

Responding to Mr. Baldwin's comment above:

I disagree - most people spend a good deal of time in city driving, not highway driving. And, even if we're on the highway, there's a good chance we're crawling along the pavement. In these conditions the Prius smokes the Yaris, Mini, and Echo. Actually, the Mini's MPG is not that hot despite it's size (barely over 20 city/30hwy). Not to mention the Prius has more room than a Yaris or an Echo.

As for the person you know, at least she's not driving an Escalade and living in her 5000 sq ft home. Every little bit helps. Not, that a sample size of one is enough to draw conclusions from anyway. Speaking of anecdotal data, the people I know with Priuses (Priusi?) drive them because they commute in 'ellish conditions over an hour each way. They couldn't care less what sort of image they convey.

I've had my Insight for about 2 years, and my heavy foot gets 46-49 mpg in SanFran traffic, so the little gas cars can't meet it. (Also love the 5 speed.) There are at least two reasons people buy a hybrid: the mileage/eco issues, and the ability to broadcast our good intentions. The Honda auto designers and marketing team finally see this second motivation, but they really need to take the next step and offer it as a plug-in instead of just a "me too."

Okay folks -- there's a reason this car looks like the Prius. Think about it. People better get used to seeing cars that look like the Prius because that's what cars with low drag and high aerodynamics look like. You wanna save money on gas or not?

The similarity to the Prius has more to do with results in the WIND TUNNEL than wanting to look anything like a Toyota, folks. When engineers aim for the least drag coefficient, they end up getting the same results.

If you sold an auto to buy a Toyota Pious you have accomplished zip for the environment and have actually caused more stress. Natural resources, transportation costs, manufacturing pollution - all combined to create your 'clean car'. Some schmuck is driving around in your old car.

The reason this car looks like a Prius is because this is the optimal shape for the least wind resistance. I am sure Honda doesn't want the new Insight to look so similar but they probably have no choice.

I'm wondering why people are all about a plug in vehicle. Given the fact that DWP is not a very green power producing entity and primarily get their power from coal, there is no real green benefit to buying a plug in vehicle. Instead, the environmental burden is shifted to power companies who need to buy more oil and burn more coal in order for you to plug in your clean little vehicle and save a little change on gas. While you are saving a little change in one area, your power bills will just go up and where are we going to put all those hazardous batteries when you don't want your vehicle anymore? Not in your backyard of course, right?

How about you suck it up and live closer to work, clean up our inner City streets by populating them again with families of all ethnicities and economic statuses, and ride a bicycle to work?

Is it still legal to report 'Starts at' numbers? Honda and Toyota are not exactly making a lot of true base models in their hybrids. If you almost never make the base model you quote to the press, then the press should provide the numbers on the cheapest model that is regularly available. Because in the end I'm more concerned about cost per mile.

Those interested in how a Hydrogen economy would work, and the technical challenges of getting there, should check out the Sept. 2006 issue of Scientific American, which was all about these issues. They probably have back issues available on their website or you can just go the library.

The Prius looks like the original Insight, what a shame that they could not produce an original design. Give credit where it is due, the original insight was the originator of that shape not the Toyota. A Prius and now the Insight scream look at me? Show the cars to a person who knows nothing about cars to see if they look special in any way. Probably no reaction! Now show them a Ferrari F450, even an untrained eye knows there is something special about that car. The Prius is iconic now and Toyota did a marvelous job of marketing a cheap econobox with a very complex hybrid powertrain as the ultimate technology for fuel economy savings. What sheep we are!

Good for you Honda, the more hybrids on the road the better. The more affordable they are the better. We need to get to plug-in hybrids (powered by wind or solar) but mainstreaming regular hybrids is important too.

I too disagree wtih the assumption that "people like their hybrids to look like hybrids." While I admire its performance and applaud their owners for going green, I think the Prius -- like the old Insight and the EV1 that preceded it -- is hideous, and this new Insight appears to be its twin brother. I bought a Civic Hybrid (in which I'm averaging 52 mpg) in large part because it looked like a real car, not a gimmick.

I'm shocked that most carmakers still don't offer attractive hybrids and are instead focused on rolling out more ghastly SUVs like the new Cadillac Escalade hybrid, which gets all of 20 mpg. If Volkswagen introduced a hybrid Beetle convertible or BMW offered hybrid Mini Coopers, they'd be the fastest-selling cars of all time.

My wife and I own a Prius. We are a one car family. We love the car - we average about 51.5 MPG (she gets better mileage than I do, since I have a bit of a lead foot). It's quiet, comfortable, and is roomy enough to accomodate my 6'2" height without making be duck. The MPG number is based on measurements - I keep track of how many gallons I buy and what the mileage was when I fill up. A lot of Prius drivers are informally competing to see who can get the best mileage.

We love that the cars shuts off the engine when stopped. This is nice when stuck in traffic - much quieter and more relaxing.

Does anyone know how much the electric bill would be for a person who has a plug in car? How does a person really know the true cost of owning one of those electric plug in cars that a few folks have mentioned in the entries above mine. Will the monthly electric bill run as much as an average person's monthly gasoline budget. If the way an electric bill spikes during the summer months when the AC is on is any indication, those cars can't be all that inexpensive to maintain - - right?

The Prius is a rip-off of the original 2-seater Honda Insight. The original Prius looked more like it's no-style cousin, the Echo. The reason why it outsold the Insight is because it sits 5 people.

I love that my Prius looks different - like a hybrid. I especially like to park next to Hummers. I guess it does make me feel that I'm much more ecologically responsible. I care that my children have a chance to live in a world that's in better shape than it is now, and I'm not afriad to show my concern through the choice of car I drive.

By the way, I live in Boulder which as of last year had 1% of the Prius market worldwide, and we are a city of 100,000. Do the math - they are everywhere!

ill keep my MINI, a joy to drive and mileage is not so bad, ill smoke your prius on the curves too.

Gerbear: it is difficult to predict in advance with precision what the cost of the electricity for a plug-in hybrid would be. Doubtless this would depend on supply and demand and vary from place to place.

In the long run though, gasoline will inevitably get more expensive as oil runs out.

Let's not loose sight of the most important thing about plug-ins: they provide a way to power cars largely with clean energy (if that's where people's electricity comes from, which it should be), something that regular hybrids can't do. This means a solution to global warming, and conventional air pollution. We have to factor in these social benefits when doing a cost-benefit analysis of plug-in hybrids.

For the present though, it's good to see more hybrids on the road.

When the Honda Hybrid finally shows up, all the dealers will be adding at least $2,000 to the sticker price. The Honda factory will say that they cannot control what the dealers charge for the cars. How about if no one bought the car for over sticker price? Would that finally stop dealer price gouging?

I notice that Toyota told their Palo Alto dealer not to accept deposits on the new hybrid ("Toyota pulls plug on plug-in hybrid deposits" LA Times 9/2/08).

In 1984 I purchased a Honda CRX (manual transmission, 1300cc). The car was supposed to get 67 mpg. My mileage was 55 mpg. This car was a gas only engine. Now Honda is putting larger engines in their vehicles - WHY?

The CRX was really cool looking too. I don't really like the looks of the prius, there is not enough headroom for taller people either.

It's too bad Honda is making another Prius, I wish the insight would be designed differently. But I do want a car with good gas mileage, that is why I would buy an insight or any hybrid. I also like the idea of plug-in vehicles, possibly I'll wait for a couple of years.

Why don't they do a slight redesign of the original Insight? It originally got something in the range of 65-70 mpg and took up much less room on the road. (smoking the Prius) if you dont need a 5 seater...single folks like myself could roll in the 2 seater with great glee. Easier to find parking too..and not as dangerous driving as driving a Smartcar.

Yes it looks like the Prius, which leads me to believe that Honda is pre-occupied with the idea that everyone who is interested in having a hybrid wants it to look like a hybrid. And the sales numbers support that decision. Are they playing it safe? Undoubtedly. Is that a savvy move? Only time will tell.

"If you sold an auto to buy a Toyota Pious you have accomplished zip for the environment and have actually caused more stress...... Some schmuck is driving around in your old car."

Yeah down here in Mexico.

If the battery dies. Will the car still drive & what will the fuel economy be like?