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Honda Insight 2  (Source: CAR Magazine)

Honda CR-Z Concept, FCX, and Insight 2 Concept  (Source: CAR Magazine)
Honda gets ready to take on the Prius with the Insight 2

Honda's next generation "Prius Killer" hybrid has been seen roaming the desert under heavy camouflage. Most of the time, the vehicle has been caught with a Toyota Prius tagging along for comparison purposes.

Today, however, we are finally able to see what the five-seat Insight 2 hatchback will look like -- at least in concept form – when it launches next year courtesy of CAR Magazine. The design borrows heavily from the production Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, although it's likely that many will claim that Honda directly ripped off the Prius' design.

While the car you see pictured to the right is considered a "concept", if Honda's previous concepts are any indication, this is about 97% production ready. Ditch the large wheels and tone down the front lighting and you'd be looking at the production model.

There aren't many more concrete details available on the Insight 2; however, we do know these few tidbits of information regarding the vehicle. First, the Insight 2 will undercut the Honda Civic Hybrid in pricing. Early reports from Honda insiders suggest that the Insight 2 will be priced below $19,000 when it launches next spring. For comparison, the Honda Civic Hybrid starts at $22,600, while the Toyota Prius starts at $21,500.

Secondly, the Insight 2 will likely use Honda's next generation Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system. The new IMA is reportedly 50% cheaper to produce than the existing IMA used in the Honda Civic Hybrid.

"The original Honda Insight pioneered hybrid technology in the U.S. and remains a symbol of Honda's commitment to innovative technology and fuel efficiency," said Honda CEO and President Takeo Fukui. "This new Insight will also break new ground by providing an affordable hybrid to an expanded number of customers craving great fuel economy and great value."

Honda hopes to sell 200,000 units of its Insight 2 globally with half of those sales coming from North America. Sales of the Insight 2 along with a production version of the CR-Z hybrid will push Honda's global annual hybrid sales to 500,000 units.

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Front wheels
By AssBall on 9/4/2008 12:13:45 PM , Rating: 2
Are they actually larger than the back ones or is that an optical illusion? It would provide better ride and economy/vs costs.




RE: Front wheels
By FITCamaro on 9/4/2008 12:21:30 PM , Rating: 1
I think the bottom picture is showing the progression from concept to production.


RE: Front wheels
By walk2k on 9/4/2008 1:51:25 PM , Rating: 2
The bottom picture shows "Honda CR-Z Concept, FCX, and Insight 2 Concept"...

Those are the only pictures I've seen of the Insight2, it may be an optical illusion, or the front wheels may actually be larger. It's a front-wheel drive car, the rear wheels don't do anything, they are really just there to keep the back of the car from dragging on the ground.


RE: Front wheels
By lagomorpha on 9/4/2008 6:00:53 PM , Rating: 3
Just because the rear wheels don't turn relative to the car doesn't mean they aren't vital to steering! Morbo: "Cars do not work that way!"


RE: Front wheels
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 9/4/2008 1:54:51 PM , Rating: 2
The bottom picture is of three distinct vehicles.

CR-Z: three-door hatchback, two-seater hybrid based on the Civic platform
FCX Clarity: fuel cell sedan
Insight 2: discussed in this article


RE: Front wheels
By kattanna on 9/4/2008 5:01:27 PM , Rating: 2
no, it actually looks like the front wheels are larger. the only problem i see with that is carry 2 different size of tires for spares.


RE: Front wheels
By Alexvrb on 9/4/2008 6:38:39 PM , Rating: 2
It seems likely that the wheels and tires will be the same size on the production model. If you're unlucky, Honda might do what they did with some years of the Accord hybrid. Your "spare tire" will be a can of fix-a-flat. Saves money AND weight! Spare tires of course can be purchased at extra cost. :P


RE: Front wheels
By walk2k on 9/4/2008 6:51:05 PM , Rating: 2
Typical spares in modern cars are usually "donuts" anyway - not the same size as your regular tires. Suitable only for driving short distances at slower speeds.


RE: Front wheels
By Samus on 9/5/2008 4:18:21 AM , Rating: 2
i'd be more concerned about the inability to rotate. i doubt the wheels are different sizes.


Mark-up?
By Baked on 9/4/2008 11:41:40 AM , Rating: 2
I wonder what's the average mark-up gonna be.




RE: Mark-up?
By Suntan on 9/4/2008 3:09:04 PM , Rating: 2
Agreed. Show me where you can actually buy a Prius for $21,500 right now…

-Suntan


RE: Mark-up?
By Spuke on 9/4/2008 4:29:34 PM , Rating: 2
Most people don't buy stripper cars (meaning cars with no options). And dealerships don't carry no option cars because they aren't as profitable as a more loaded car would be.


RE: Mark-up?
By deeznuts on 9/4/2008 4:39:20 PM , Rating: 2
True, but some people are bidding those cars higher than MSRP in some instances. Or at least they did before.


RE: Mark-up?
By Solandri on 9/4/2008 6:00:50 PM , Rating: 2
Hondas don't have options. They usually sell 3 trim levels with the only "options" being auto/manual and navigation. Not sure how useful that is in the Internet age, but in past days it was nice because you could easily compare prices between dealers.


RE: Mark-up?
By Zero76 on 9/7/2008 4:46:37 AM , Rating: 2
yep u got that right..is either DX ( wich i rarely or non existan in accord models ), LX, And EX. and every little niche in between that you can get for a little extra, but well, fewer options, i guess later on they will add more stuff once they figure out how to compensat the extra weight that may incur when you add more stuff to the vehicle itself.


It ain't close to my baby...
By RoberTx on 9/4/2008 10:43:15 PM , Rating: 1
My baby is an '08 Kawasaki KLR 650. 60+ mpg, $5350 purchase price, $60 a year for insurance, 100+ mph top speed, 16,000+ miles with zero issues, maintain it in your sleep...beat that.

Also...

"We are sorry for the inconvenience but we've determined you have a low DailyTech rating and may possibly be a robot. In order to maintain the high quality posts that our readers demand, please enter the text in the image below exactly as you see it to continue posting. Once you have achieved a higher DailyTech rating you will not longer be required to enter the text. "

Oh, grow up nerd.




RE: It ain't close to my baby...
By Zero76 on 9/5/2008 3:32:11 AM , Rating: 2
Yes i ll beat that!! you cant compare apples to oranges.. yes is Dual purpose bike, but consider using that on winter..then what you get is a NERD that cant drive it on the snow, cold days or rain, Not everybody have the taste or resources. yes it is your baby wow... Mine is a 08 Yamaha R6R, great gas mileage, good looking, and i dont look like a nerd when i drive around. Got that? Ha..And i forgot..is more fun to drive around ;), insurance a little higher and well even if is almost as fast as a airbus319 on take off, i keep up in the safe range of speed.


RE: It ain't close to my baby...
By RoberTx on 9/6/2008 12:08:27 AM , Rating: 2
I'm 52 and have ridden all over the place year round on dirt bikes. I have spiked MEFO knobs sitting in the garage. I eat nails and spit out thumbtacks, 5 years USMC. I use small cars and fat bobs for traction. I wipe my butt with a cactus. My KLR can whup the snot outta your girlie R6R. The KLR is the bike with combat cred on the 21st century battlefield, The KLR has been in the Corps for over 8 years now. Only mad dogs are man enough to swing a leg over the KiLleR. HuhHuhHuh, that made me tired. I'm going to bed now...


RE: It ain't close to my baby...
By Zero76 on 9/7/2008 4:41:20 AM , Rating: 2
hey dude did u forget that ur 650 is not supersport and doesnt even match a R6R?, and honestly 5 years of usmc doesnt match 18 years of real pounding trainig on the desert, cold cold mountains and a place u dont wanna be, the cold antartica,oh i forgot the amazon too, and yes you guys are trained by us down south every september, the best of the best goes down there to put themselves to the test, probably i could sit in ur back and twist you in 2 in 60 secs while i m taking a no.2 but lets not embarras ourselves, you are in a different sort of category and i dont want you to feel bad ;0), different perspectives. BTW Read the spec of the krl, is a beginner bike, but at your stage its ok, smart ppl ( dont wanna use the g word anymore ) will kinda give you the weird eye at you anyways while they speed up like a rocket in their nsx's or flagship mercedez, or race the c#$%^ out in their R6's R1 and REAL Nija'z 1000 in a nice warm spring day. Good luck next time you try to use you scooter to catch some of them. cc's on your bike wont mean nothing, and R6's are not a girlie ride..your attitude might be , but not the R6, neither the KRL, even if is a slow tuned version of a better kawasaki.


RE: It ain't close to my baby...
By RoberTx on 9/11/2008 3:56:10 PM , Rating: 2
I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were a legend in your own mind. By the way, your an illiterate idiot.


RE: It ain't close to my baby...
By Visual on 9/5/2008 3:42:09 AM , Rating: 2
this is your first post, and you got a message for your post ratings?
wtf dailytech!