From the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show, Cars.com's Kelsey Mays takes a first look at the 2010 Honda Insight.
Transcript
(upbeat music) Hi, I'm Kelsey Mays for cars.com. We're at the LA Auto Show, where green cars often make a big splash. Behind me is not a knockoff of the current Toyota Prius. In fact, it's Honda's latest concept, the Insight hybrid.
It was first introduced at last month's Paris Motor Show. There's been a long lead-up to the Insight. In fact, Honda says it's one of two hybrid-specific cars it's gonna make, the other being a car based on the CRZ concept released at 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Add that to the current Civic hybrid and a forthcoming Fit hybrid, and Honda could be making four hybrid cars by early next decade. The Insight takes its name from the hybrid two-seater that Honda produced early this decade. You might also remember it from the 2004 movie, "The Day After Tomorrow", where scientist Jack Hall drives one. But unlike Dennis Quaid's career, this car might actually thrive. Honda says that a production model is due at January's Detroit Auto Show. Though its shape emulates the Prius, the front end actually looks closer to Honda's FCX hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle that's leased to select drivers in the state of California. Actually, this car won't have the FCX's advanced hydrogen drivetrain. It'll have a version of Honda's integrated motor assist system, the same system that works in the Civic hybrid. Expect gas mileage to be in the 40s; the low to mid 40s, Honda says. That puts it near what the Civic gets, the Civic hybrid. The Prius is a few ticks higher. Inside, the car has the same two-level gauges as the Civic. The shapes look pretty conventional if you've been in a new Honda lately, which suggests that this is pretty close to the stuff we'll see when the car hits production next spring. That production model could be a bargain. Honda says the Insight will start at a significantly lower price than the Civic hybrid, which right now is about 23,5. That means you could be seeing a sub-$20,000 hybrid. That would under-cut the Prius's $22,000 sticker by a few grand. For more details, stay tuned for our coverage of the Detroit Auto Show in January. <v Narrator>For additional information on this car or any other, go to cars.com, and our blog, Kicking Tires.
