insight

In the battle of the ultimate hybrid, whose green will reign supreme? The new Prius and the Honda Insight go head-to-head in this Web video. The reviewers look at handling, design, miles per gallon, and overall value. Although the Insight has a lot of personality and is less expensive, the reviewers picked the Prius.

Toyota confirmed the rumors circulating that the company planned to build a cheap, fuel-efficient hybrid to compete directly with the Honda Insight. The plans were announced in an interview given by Akihiko Otsuka, chief engineer for the 2010 Prius, to Japan's Nikkei newspaper.

The Yaris Hybrid is expected to retail for under $20,000 and be on sale in Japan as early as 2011. Currently, the most expensive conventional gasoline engine model tops out at $15,880. The 2009 Yaris is equipped with a four-cylinder 1.5-liter engine, and the four-speed automatic achieves 29 mpg in the city and … Read more

Auto suppliers may pull the rug from under the industry, Toyota finds a new place for an airbag, ethanol producers want to force more of its product into your tank, goodbye Honda S2000.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

• Ethanol producers want to feed more of its product to your car

• Toyota's back seat airbag

• The new green, diesel Land Rover

• Liv Inizio electric car looks a lot like a Tesla

• Think wants to bring their little electric car to the U.S.

Honda has finally buckled down and set an MSRP and a release date for its new Insight Hybrid. Since its unveiling and during our testing, we've been merely speculating on the MSRP of Honda's dedicated-hybrid model, but on March 24 buyers will be able to purchase an Insight LX Hybrid starting at $19,800.

At that price, the Insight undercuts the current Prius' base price by $2,200, but that gap could grow or shrink with the release of the 2010 model.

Those with a bit more change in their purses can step up to the Insight EX … Read more

I just got back from Vancouver IxDA. Had a great time but seem to have kicked up a bit of a controversy by declaring that, as interaction designers, our medium is not technology – it's behavior. I must admit to a certain amount of surprise at the strong response, and I appreciate the immediate back up from my cohort, Jon Kolko (you can see my slides - mostly visuals - here). It is very interesting to me that this statement would seem controversial, even novel in this community. And I think it says a … Read more

It's difficult to describe the 2010 Honda Insight without mentioning the current heavyweight champion of the green car world, the Toyota Prius. Both vehicles are dedicated hybrid models and are similarly styled, so it's easy to see why many assume the Insight is Honda's "Prius-killer."

Unfortunately for Honda, the Prius' more sophisticated drive train beats the Insight, offering more power and a higher EPA-estimated fuel economy. However, all is not lost, as the Insight brings a secret weapon to the green car wars: value.

With a much lower estimated price tag, the Insight may not … Read more

Honda generated a lot of excitement last year when it announced the 2010 Insight, a new dedicated hybrid. Could it unseat Toyota's Prius from the hybrid throne? But Toyota wasn't about to let this upstart go unchallenged, announcing an update to the current generation Prius, which has been in production since 2004. We got to see both production vehicles at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, and set them against each other in a series of photos. Will the Insight bring fresh thinking to the hybrid space? Will Toyota sit on its laurels, or give the Prius the update … Read more

I had the opportunity to spend a few hours driving a 2010 Honda Insight on city streets and backroads of Carefree, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, when it was introduced to the automotive media last month.

Driving the 2010 Honda Insight is a bit different from driving any other CVT-equipped car. Regenerative braking is noticeable on deceleration, allowing less use of the antilock disc/drum hydraulic brakes. There are also two new features on the Insight not found in other cars--EcoAssist and Econ mode.

With 98 horsepower, developed fairly high in the rev range at 5,800rpm, and 123 pound-feet … Read more

Hinted at for a while, and shown in prototype form at the Los Angeles Auto Show in late November, the second-generation Honda Insight was formally introduced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on January 11. The embargo date has passed, and now it can be told: we saw and drove it in Phoenix a month ago.

As the Civic has gotten bigger and moved a bit upscale, Honda has needed to fill its old place in the lineup. The Fit does that quite well, at least for people looking for a sportier than average small gasoline-only hatchback. … Read more