Honda readies a new hybrid car

Five passenger version of the Insight? Now you're talking. It's too bad they couldn't keep the Insight in production since the new car won't be ready until 2009-10.

And like the Prius, it will be built from the ground up. Now that's the way to build a hybrid.

 

pictures?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jan 9 2007, 12:57 AM) [snapback]372930[/snapback]</div>

Yes.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jan 8 2007, 11:28 PM) [snapback]372895[/snapback]</div>

If you had read the article:

"How low will the price be? Honda won’t say. But the company offers a clue in how it describes the car. Code-named “Global Small Hybrid,†Honda’s new car will be about the size of its tiny Fit model, which is positioned just below the subcompact Civic in size and price. The Fit starts just under $14,000. So even with the $3,000 or $4,000 premium you pay for a hybrid, this new Honda could be priced below $20,000, potentially making it the least expensive hybrid on the market."

So, no. Not another mid-sized everyman hybrid. A small econo-hybrid. How you'll fit five adults into it, I'm not sure. Maybe they need to work for Barnum and Bailey.

 

I think they will have to make it a bit larger than the "Fit" if they want to achieve widespread success in the US. Something Prius-sized at a minimum to say 5-10% larger maximum.

 

They describe it as just below subcompact.

How can this be the same as mid -sized. Isn't mid-sized how the Prius is described?

 

I'd guess the size would be between the Fit and the Civic. It will be interesting if they can make the car light with less costly materials and offer at least a limited EV mode. Honda probably figures that if forced to choose between affordable (under 20K) will make plenty of sales.

 

The article gives a muddy and confusing picture. Insight-sized and seats five - not going to work. Note how he notes the hybrid Accord and Insight, but not the hybrid Civic, peggs the Insight as for treehuggers only.

Furthermore, the same author does an article on the GM Volt and states it gets 150mpg (probably true if you are talking only of grid-powered EV mode). Declares the Prius goes up to 15mph then goes out of EV mode.

Do you blindly beleive the article now?

 

If you want to have a rough idea of what the new dedicated Honda Hybrid will look like please look at the European 5 door Civic and some of its features (interior especially) - It should offer some pretty strong clues.
According to a Honda source, the FIT is (by Honda standards) a previous generation vehicle and not likely to help people visualize the upcoming new model.
Not all features of the European 5 door Civic will be implemented/adopted though (this includes the discrete rear passenger doors). According to the same sources, the mileage capabilities of the new vehicle should exceed that or the original CVT Insight and it will feature a next Gen IMA.


Cheers;

MSantos

 

Too bad Honda doesn't do something about seats in their cars. They are the most UNCOMFORTABLE things I have ever put my butt and back into. I would consider buying a hybrid Honda but not until they do something about those seats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(loveit @ Jan 9 2007, 08:50 PM) [snapback]373422[/snapback]</div>

It's a very valid point on my Insight, but I think many vehicle also have this issue too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(loveit @ Jan 9 2007, 08:50 PM) [snapback]373422[/snapback]</div>

Yeah, a few people now and then do point that out. If you check the comments on this topic at GreenHybrid most people actually feel the seats to be very supportive and confortable. I guess it depends on the size and "frame" of the individual in question. Even though the seats have a few useable degrees of freedom allowing many drivers to eventually find a confortable position, some folks will never really find them confortable at all.

And even though those HCH-2 headrests seem to annoy a lot of folks, most of us just get used to that too.

Heck, my wife even adds a cushion to the Prius so she can ride a little higher and see more in rear view mirror.

That's life.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jan 9 2007, 01:18 PM) [snapback]373263[/snapback]</div>

It's funny to consider the Fit subcompact from the Japanese point of view. From two weeks of seeing cars in Japan, I would have to say the Fit is most common MID-SIZE car in Japan. Most other cars are kei cars which are smaller than the Fit (imagine size of mini-cooper with xB's shape in AWD with 4 doors) such as the Honda Life and Daihatsu Move http://www.daihatsu.co.jp/showroom/lineup/...ustom/index.htm http://movetown.jp/top.html http://movecustom.jp/pc/. The xB looks like a mid-sized car there too.

The rest are extremely large cars such as the 2nd gen Prius, or the European cars. I barely saw any current generation Civics there most probably because they're too big. Instead, it was mostly the smaller Hondas that were more popular. Did see 2 H2s near Odaiba, but they were gigantic monster tanks compared to parked street traffic. The Smart ForTwo was the only one that could be considered "subcompact" versus the compact kei cars.

Why don't we have such vehicles here? Maybe side impact and crash protection issues, and the average American wouldn't fit into such vehicles.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jan 9 2007, 10:18 PM) [snapback]373263[/snapback]</div>

Yes, with the Civic being a "small family car". The Prius just scrapes into "large family car" in one guide I have to hand.

What strikes me as odd in that guide, is that things like the Ka and Peugeot 107 are indeed classed as "supermini". What's the sense in that? If the Fiesta and 207 are "supermini" then surely the Ka and 107 are "mini"??

It even lists the Smart ForTwo as a "supermini". :blink:

Cars have been getting gradually bigger in the last two decades, which means the categories have crept up too, making room for cars like the 107/Aygo. I remember being struck seeing a 1981 Ford Escort parked next to a 2000-ish Vauxhall Corsa. The Escort has always been "small family", while the Corsa has always been "supermini", and I'd always thought of them like that. But seeing them next to each other, I realised they're 2000 Corsa is now as big as the 1980 Escort...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Delta Flyer @ Jan 9 2007, 05:34 PM) [snapback]373278[/snapback]</div>

Sigh ... it gets so exasperating hearing what so & so is going to build... SOMEDAY. Honda isn't as bad as GM (with their vaporware VOLT) but it rings the same. I don't recall, but when the Prius came to be (almost 10 YEARS ago), it seems like they just DID IT ~ without so much PR fanfare.