2011 Honda Insight with Subtle Revisions and Special Price Offer goes on Sale in the UK

The modestly improved for the 2011 model year Honda Insight hybrid with chassis and trim level changes has arrived at Honda's UK showrooms. Normal pricing starts at £16,325 for the SE model, however, the Japanese automaker is running a special deal until the end of December offering the hybrid model at £14,995 OTR.

For the 2011 model year, Honda also added a new, top-of-the-range, EX model that's priced at £20,215 OTR and comes equipped with black leather upholstery, DVD Sat Nav and hands-free telephone as standard.

According to the automaker, most of the changes on the Insight were made to address negative feedback from the media as well as customers on the car's ride and comfort levels. The chassis improvements include adjusting the recoil rate of the springs, changing the rear camber angles, plus altering the V-shape rear suspension brace and adjusting mounts.

The latest model also benefits from the addition of new paint options with the introduction of Dynamic Blue Pearl and Carnelian Red Pearl.

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Hybrid Sales Dropping in the USA, Reasons Unclear

Irrelevant numbers aside, hybrid registrations in the States are falling. Some of the 17% drop between 2007 and 2009 has naturally been blamed on the recession, but the Wall Street Journal proposes a few other factors that may have affected interest in the smug-mobiles (specifically in the San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland area).

Automotive industry analyst, R.L. Polk & Co., has this theory: Some of the "relevant" reasons to buy a hybrid, such as getting to drive in the carpool lane, are gone due to a change in Bay Area laws. If anyone actually bought a hybrid for that specific purpose, though, you're nuts...just get a mannequin.

Another "relevant" reason? Alternatively-fueled vehicles such as full-electric cars are taking away some hybrid buyers (do a lot of people cross-shop Priuses and Tesla Roadsters?). At least one executive does: Cisco Systems' Tom Gillis. He bought a Tesla Roadster instead of a hybrid because hybrids, unlike electric cars, are "boring"; fair enough on the opinion, but not exactly a purchase most people can relate to.

Without a legitimate reason offered for declining sales, at least Mr. Joel Fugazzotti (retiree and Prius owner) shoots it straight. He bought a Prius for likely the same reason most people do: "I just like them a lot...It's a good way to save on gas, and I figured I wasn't polluting the environment as much."

I'm not sure how a carpool lane or a sports car played into that decision, but it appears as if he bought a hybrid because it made sense to him.

Perhaps hybrid interest is falling because people don't like what's offered, or maybe perceptions have simply changed. Who knows? It's happening, and there's a catalyst somewhere, but fishing around for reasons like lane privileges and writing up fun-factor opinions from upper-level suits is silly.

By Phil Alex

Source: WSJ

Hybrid Sales Dropping in the USA, Reasons Unclear

Irrelevant numbers aside, hybrid registrations in the States are falling. Some of the 17% drop between 2007 and 2009 has naturally been blamed on the recession, but the Wall Street Journal proposes a few other factors that may have affected interest in the smug-mobiles (specifically in the San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland area).

Automotive industry analyst, R.L. Polk & Co., has this theory: Some of the "relevant" reasons to buy a hybrid, such as getting to drive in the carpool lane, are gone due to a change in Bay Area laws. If anyone actually bought a hybrid for that specific purpose, though, you're nuts...just get a mannequin.

Another "relevant" reason? Alternatively-fueled vehicles such as full-electric cars are taking away some hybrid buyers (do a lot of people cross-shop Priuses and Tesla Roadsters?). At least one executive does: Cisco Systems' Tom Gillis. He bought a Tesla Roadster instead of a hybrid because hybrids, unlike electric cars, are "boring"; fair enough on the opinion, but not exactly a purchase most people can relate to.

Without a legitimate reason offered for declining sales, at least Mr. Joel Fugazzotti (retiree and Prius owner) shoots it straight. He bought a Prius for likely the same reason most people do: "I just like them a lot...It's a good way to save on gas, and I figured I wasn't polluting the environment as much."

I'm not sure how a carpool lane or a sports car played into that decision, but it appears as if he bought a hybrid because it made sense to him.

Perhaps hybrid interest is falling because people don't like what's offered, or maybe perceptions have simply changed. Who knows? It's happening, and there's a catalyst somewhere, but fishing around for reasons like lane privileges and writing up fun-factor opinions from upper-level suits is silly.

By Phil Alex

Source: WSJ

2011 Honda Insight Hybrid Refined with Suspension Changes and Trim Enhancements

The new Insight hybrid has only been around with us for a little over a year, yet Honda's UK division has just announced that the five-door hatch received a series of improvements that include suspension changes to enhance ride and comfort, and upgrades to the interior trim levels.

In a press statement, the Japanese automaker said changes made to the Insight "are in direct response to the comments received from early customers and the media", adding that the initial focus was on the car's suspension to address "negative feedback on ride and comfort levels."

In order to improve ride, handling and stability, Honda's engineers went ahead and performed a series of upgrades to the Insight's suspension including, adjusting the recoil rate of the springs, altering the rear camber angles, changing the V-shape rear suspension brace and adjusting mounts.

Along with the suspension upgrades, Honda also made a few changes to the interior. The 2011 model year Insight gets new dashboard and seat colors for a "more uniform finish", while some plastics have been improved in quality. In addition, there are new chrome rings surrounding the air vents and the doors have been given a silver garnish feature.

Other changes include the addition of standard rear parking sensors to ES-model Insights and above, the introduction of a new range-topping EX model with black leather upholstery and DVD Sat Nav with hands-free telephone equipment, as well as two new exterior colors - Dynamic Blue Pearl and Carnelian Red Pearl.

Honda said that production of the revised Insight starts in Japan in July, with the first customer deliveries expected in September, 2010. However, it is not clear yet if these changes are limited to the European-spec model or if they will be applied to Insights sold globally.

Top 10 Greenest and Dirtiest Cars of 2010

The headline grabber: Italy's Lamborghini Murcielago has been named and shamed as the most polluting car of the nation by the UK's Environmental Transport Association (ETA), being five times as worse than the greenest automobile of 2010, Japan's 99g/km Toyota iQ.

"With emissions five times worse than the greenest car, the Lamborghini is the bull in an environmental china shop," said Andrew Davis, director of the ETA. "Thankfully, there are very few on the roads and there is an increasing choice of environmentally-sound cars."

The group said it examined over 5,000 cars sold in the UK ranking them for their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and the amount of noise they produce. ETA also said that a poll of 1,500 British drivers found that Scots were most inclined (42%) to buy a smaller car in order to reduce their motoring costs, while drivers living in the north of England were the least inclined (34%).

The untold story: As with most reports of the sort, ETA and Mr. Davis forget to stress the fact that super cars like the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, which top both CO2 and fuel cost lists, are not only extremely rare, but also won't ever be used as near as much as a Toyota iQ or the Honda Insight.

This means that their actual total emissions (we won't even bother with fuel costs) are pretty much inconsequential. A quick search on UK's (since the study was for Britain) eBay can provide proof for this.

Source: Environmental Transport Association

ETA's GREEN CAR AWARDS 2010

Category	Best	Worst
Green Car of the Year 2010	Toyota iQ	Lamborghini Murcielago
Greenest small family car	Honda Insight 1.3	VW Golf 3.2 V6
Greenest large family car	BMW 320d Touring	Vauxhall Insignia VXR V6 Turbo
Greenest Supermini	Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D	Renault Clio Sport 200
Greenest city car	Toyota iQ	Ford Ka 1.6 Sportka
Greenest sports car	Vauxhall Tigra	Lamborghini Murcielago
Greenest MPV	Peugeot Bipper Tepee	Mercedes R63
Greenest small MPV	Renault Modus 1.5dci	Vauxhall Zafira VXR 2.0i Turbo
Greenest off-road car	BMW X1 E84	Mercedes ML63
Greenest luxury car	BMW 740d	Bentley Brooklands

TOP 10 MOST POLLUTING CARS

1. Lamborgini Murcielago
2. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
3. Bentley Motors Brooklands
4. Bentley Motors Arnage
5. bentley Motors Azure
6. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
7. Bentley Motors Continental
8. Aston Martin V12 Vantage
9. Cadillac Escalade
10. Rolls Royce Phantom

TOP 10 LEAST POLLUTING CARS

1. Toyota iQ
2. Honda Insight
3. Volkswagen New Polo
4. Toyota Yaris
5. Toyota Prius
6. Nissan Pixo
7. Suzuki Alto
8. Honda Civic Hybrid
9. Ford Fiesta
10. Mazda 2

TOP 10 CARS WITH HIGHEST FUEL COSTS

1. Lamborghini Murcielago
2. Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
3. Bentley Motors Brooklands
4. Bentley Motors Arnage
5. Bentley Motors Azure
6. Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
7. Bentley Motors Continental
8. Aston Martin V12 Vantage
9. Cadillac Escalade
10. Ferrari 430 Scuderia

TOP 10 CARS WITH LOWEST FUEL COSTS

1. Smart Fortwo
2. Volkswagen New Polo
3. Ford Fiesta
4. Vaixhall Corsa
5. Seat Ibiza
6. Peugeot 207
7. Volvo C30
8. Volkswagen Polo
9. Citroen New C3
10. Toyota Prius

Toyota Rumored to Develop New Low-Price Hybrid to Compete with Honda Insight

With the new 2010 Honda Insight hybrid already undercutting the current generation Prius in price, it's a no-brainer that Toyota execs are starting to worry that Honda's hybrid proposal will have a serious advantage over the next-generation 2010 Prius as the latter will carry an even higher sticker. According to Japan's Nikkei Business daily, Toyota is planning to confront this problem with the introduction of a new, low-price, hybrid subcompact model that could find its way to overseas markets.

Although Toyota declined to comment on the report, Nikkei claims that the new gasoline-hybrid car will use many modified parts from the Prius with power coming from a smaller engine than the current model's 1.5-liter unit. The new model, that could hit the market as early as 2011, will reportedly cost 20 to 30 percent cheaper than the current Prius hybrid, which starts at 2.33 million yen ($23,500 with today's exchange rates).

The Honda Insight, that went on sale in Japan this February, has a starting price of just 1.89 million Yen, or with the current exchange rates, $19,200. In the U.S., the Insight will be priced from $19,800 (see details here).

Source: Nikkei Business (Sub. Req)

Honda Prices the 2010 Insight Hybrid from $19,800 in the USA

The all-new 2010 Honda Insight (click here for our mega gallery) will go on sale in the USA on March 24 with a starting manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $19,800, or $2,200 less than the current Toyota Prius that starts from $22,000, but will soon be replaced by the third generation model -see here. Honda's five-passenger, five-door dedicated hybrid is powered by an Integrated Motor Assist system comprised of a 1.3-liter i-VTEC gasoline engine and a 10kW electric motor that together contribute to an EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy rating of 40/43 mpg.

"The all-new Honda Insight brings the cost of entry for hybrid technology within closer reach of an entirely new car-shopping audience," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda.

The new Insight will be offered in the U.S. with a choice of three trims, the LX, the EX and the EX with Navi.

The entry-level LX, priced at $19,800, comes with front, front-side and side-curtain airbags, an anti-lock braking system, a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), Eco Assist, automatic climate control, tilt and telescope steering column, manual driver's seat height adjustment, power windows, a four-speaker AM/FM audio system with CD player and auxiliary audio input for external digital music players, as standard

The more premium Insight EX has an MSRP of $21,300 and adds to the Insight LX features with Vehicle Stability Assist, alloy wheels, cruise control, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, an upgraded audio system with six speakers, USB audio interface, a center console with armrest and storage compartment and heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals.

Finally, Honda offers the Insight EX with a satellite-linked Navigation System with voice recognition that includes a 6.5-inch screen for $23,100. Models equipped with the navigation system also include Bluetooth HandsFreeLink for hands-free operation of compatible mobile telephones, along with related steering wheel-mounted controls for voice activation of the navigation and hands-free telephone systems.

2010 Honda Insight Pricing and EPA Data

Model ------------------MSRP-----City/Hwy/Combined

Insight LX ---------------$19,800----40/43/41

Insight EX ---------------$21,300----40/43/41

Insight EX with Navi -- $23,100----40/43/41

Mugen Launches 'Zero-Lift' Aero Kit for 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid

Honda's official tuning division Mugen has released details on a new range of sport accessories for the Japanese-market 2010 Honda Insight that just went on sale in the Land of the Rising Sun. Mugen's package includes a full functional aerodynamic kit called 'Zero-Lift' that supposedly does what it's name suggests -create zero lift- and at the same time offers a sportier look to the Insight. The aero add-ons include a front spoiler with fog-lamps, a front sports grille, side skirts, ventilated visors, a large rear wing and a rear spoiler with integrated diffuser and a triangular shaped tailpipe. The Insight's looks are rounded out with a set of 15- or 16-inch alloy wheels.

Mugen customers can also add a sport suspension package that comes with new springs and dampers that lower the compact hybrid car's ride height by 20mm. Other available accessories include the intelligent-Tire Condition Monitoring System (i-TCMS), carpet mats and aluminum sports pedals.

Via: Jalopnik , Source: Mugen

Honda Prices the new Insight Hybrid from $21,200 in Japan

The new Honda Insight Hybrid will go on sale in Japan on Friday, February 6, 2009, with prices starting from 1,890,000 yen, or with today's exchange rates, $21,200, for the entry-level "G" model and climb to 2,210,000 yen or $23,800 for the top-of-the-line LS. While the price conversion into U.S. dollars does not tell reveal much due to the volatile nature of the exchange rates on a day-to-day basis between the two currencies, what does matter is the fact that the Insight significantly undercuts the current-generation Prius (that's the 2009 model and not the all-new 2010 Prius) that is priced in Japan from approximately 2.3 million yen or $25,800.

Prices for other markets including the U.S. and European countries have yet to be revealed. Honda plans to introduce the Insight to most international markets in April, 2009.

Honda Releases Details on Insight Aero Kit and Interior Accessories

Following the global debut of the 2010 Insight at the Detroit Show last week, Honda published details and photos of the optional exterior and interior accessories that will be available on the European version of its dedicated hybrid model. Aside from the front, rear and side skirts, buyers can garnish the Insight's exterior with a series of questionable aesthetic value decorative accessories that include a crystal black mask for the front bumper, metallic-look B-pillar and door handle covers, and front, rear and side protective body trims. Honda also offers a 15" Crystal design and 16" Cronos and Turbine design alloy wheels.

For the interior, the list includes blue ambient lighting that illuminates the front foot area and centre console, stainless steel front and rear doorstep garnish, centre panel, passenger dash panel and front and rear door panels rings in a dark metal finish and outlet rings in a bright metal finish.

In the audio & electronics department, the Japanese automaker offers a newly developed widescreen portable navigation system that fits onto the dashboard, a portable "Rear Entertainment System" with LCD screens fitted on the back of the front headrests, a "Hard Disk Drive Navigation" system with 40GB and a Bluetooth phone system.