Here it is. A day after Honda posted a teaser photo of its new Insight hybrid prototype, Honda has released the full set of exterior and interior images of the new Insight after they showed up briefly Tuesday, then were promptly pulled from the media site.
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Honda has promised that a third generation of the Insight for 2019 will go on sale next summer, and the prototype will be unveiled in January at Detroit's 2018 North American International Auto Show. And as anyone who's followed Honda prototypes knows, they are nearly production-ready cars as opposed to auto-show flights of fancy.
The exterior of the compact sedan has a family resemblance to the latest Civic, and looks decidedly more upscale than the last Insight. It is likely to slot in price above the Civic and below the Accord as an affordable hybrid. And Honda says it will be a competent high-mileage vehicle that will have appeal beyond just green-car buyers. Check out the gallery below to see what you think.
The Insight has a checkered history, but Honda is staying with the name. The quirky original Insight (1999 to 2006) was a pioneer for hybrid technology. It remains an icon and valued collector car. But Honda let that leadership go, and Toyota's Prius, meanwhile, became virtually synonymous with the term "hybrid." The reboot for a second-generation Insight (2010-2014) did little to challenge that leader, offering less space (particularly in the backseat) and lower mileage than a Prius (compare their 2014 mileage ratings here).
The mileage should be much more competitive this time. The new Insight is expected to be powered by a version of Honda's high-tech, two-motor hybrid system used in the high-mileage 2017 Accord Hybrid mid-size sedan (EPA-rated at 49/47/48 mpg city/highway/combined) and the new Clarity plug-in hybrid.
Check back for our impressions of the new Insight when we have more details and get up close to it at the Detroit auto show starting Jan. 15.
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