Familiar ring: Honda revives Insight nameplate with hybrid-powered sedan
The dedicated hybrid-powered sedan features a sleek body style and two-motor setup as part of the brand’s expansion into electrified cars.
Hmm,it looks quite familiar… The Insight nameplate has been revived by Honda and will be used in a third-generation model with a slightly different approach than that of the two predecessors. It made its world debut at this month’s Detroit motor show in prototype form.
The first difference is the design. The latest Insight provides clear proof that its appearance now comes closer to other models currently on sale, including the redesigned Accord, launched in the US already but not yet in Thailand.
While the front end of the Insight apes that of the Accord, the side profile looks similar to the Civic’s because it’s reportedly based on it. While the first-gen Insight was an aero-friendly two-seater, the direct successor was a five-door hatchback. Both predecessors had bespoke design themes that weren’t shared with other Hondas of yore.
Honda says the new Insight is envisioned as a “spacious five-seater”, most likely the size of the Civic.
The interior, as seen in the accompanying sketch, mixes elements found in both the Civic and the Accord. The gear knob, for one, is of the button type pointing to an electronic CVT automatic transmission.
What does it operate?
Honda only says that the Insight will feature a “two-motor hybrid”, unlike its ancestors using a less complex, single-motor variation called IMA (Integrated Motor Assist).
Although this kind of electrification is already used in today’s Accord Hybrid (and the pending CR-V Hybrid), it’s yet to be confirmed whether the basic petrol engine in the Insight will be a 2.0-litre unit.
Some media outlets in the US are suggesting that the Insight may adopt a smaller petrol engine. Such a strategy would help Honda position the Insight below the Accord Hybrid.
In fact, the existing Civic hasn’t spawned a hybrid model as in the previous generation, so the Insight may fill its role in showrooms and serve as a rival to the Toyota Prius.
Will it come to Thailand?
It’s too early to tell, even if Honda is committing itself to electrification in the long run (it earlier announced that two-thirds of global cars sold by 2030 will have some type of electrification).
The Thai Honda office has sold some hybrid-powered models in the past, but not exactly to success. While the Accord Hybrid managed to win hearts of less price-sensitive buyers in Thailand, the Civic Hybrid and Jazz Hybrid sold in very small numbers because of prices topping their respective model ranges.
This is why it may still be too early to sell (and build) hybrid-powered cars in Thailand. And with the Insight having dedicated body parts, the business case is even tougher.
Toyota, for one, has stopped building the Prius at its Thai factory and is shifting focus to the hybrid-equipped C-HR. The flashy SUV can be made in larger numbers because there’s also a price-leading version powered by a conventional 1.8-litre petrol engine.