A four-door hatchback with hybrid propulsion, the Honda Insight is getting ready to officially unveil its latest generation, the third, at the Detroit Motor Show, scheduled for January. But that the Japanese brand chose to unveil, in advance, through some official photographs. And that advertise a much more attractive hybrid, which, admittedly, we would like to see marketed in Europe again!
Along with the images, Honda guarantees, equally and from now on, that the new Insight will make a difference, not only for its “premium style”, but also for its “high efficiency in terms of fuel consumption”. Thanks, from the outset, to the use of a new two-engine hybrid system by Honda — called i-MMD (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) that stands out, basically, for not having a conventional transmission, as if it were a 100% electric model.
Henio Arcangeli, Senior Vice President of Auto Sales at Honda America“With its sophisticated aesthetics, dynamic posture, ample interior space and performance that is one of the best in the segment, the new Insight embodies the Honda approach aimed at designing electrified vehicles, without the concessions typical of this type of proposal”
Will Insight Reach Europe?
For the Japanese manufacturer, the new Insight should represent an important help in the efforts to electrify two-thirds of its global sales, by 2030.
The new Honda Insight is expected to hit the North American market in the summer of 2018, that is, nearly 20 years after the first generation of the model was first introduced to American consumers.
In relation to Europe, nothing was mentioned about its commercialization. The new Honda Insight, in the USA, will be positioned between the Civic and the Accord, and the type of bodywork chosen will meet the preferences of the North American consumer.
On the European continent, four-door saloons are increasingly far from consumer preferences — Honda itself has already withdrawn the Accord from the market —, which plays against seeing the new Insight on our roads.
On the other hand, Honda's new hybrid system will reach more models. At the last Frankfurt Motor Show, the Japanese brand presented the prototype of the new CR-V with a hybrid engine, exactly the same hybrid system used in this new Insight. It will be the first SUV of the brand to receive this system, and the CR-V Hybrid will, without any doubt, be marketed in Europe.