Detroit —The goal of the 2009 Honda Insight, based on information Honda released today at the Detroit Auto Show, is to make the best use of the most cost-effective hybrid technology. And that may be a smart strategy from what some analysts consider to be the smartest car company in the world. When members of the media troop past the new Insight today, they’ll see Honda’s take on a shape that’s coming to define hybrid and electric vehicles: a five-door hatchback with a smooth front and a high, abrupt tail. You can add the Insight to a list of similarly shaped cars that begins with the Toyota Prius and includes the Chevrolet Volt as well. In this case, Honda leans heavily on styling cues from its much-publicized FCX Clarity fuel-cell vehicle . Under the Insight’s hood is a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine putting out 98 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque—obviously tiny for what Honda claims is a five-passenger subcompact. It’s mated to a continuously variable transmission (CVT), which provides infinite ratios to keep the engine operating within its most efficient range. On the upscale LX model, Honda offers paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel that give the driver the experience of a seven-speed gearbox. A CVT doesn’t actually have gears, so the system uses electronics to direct the transmission to up- or downshift in specific ways when a driver hits the paddle. The hybrid heart of the system is the fifth generation of Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system. The lightweight, ultra-thin electric motor between the engine and transmission puts out 10 kilowatts (13 horsepower). It is powered by a flat nickel-metal-hydride battery pack that sits under the rear deck, just behind the gas tank under the rear seat. The battery holds 0.58 kilowatt-hour of energy—just slightly more than half the 1 kilowatt-hours of the current Toyota Prius pack. The Insight battery is recharged with both spare engine power and regenerative braking, and its accelerator connects to an electronic sensor rather than a cable, also known as “drive-by-wire.” read more

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Detroit Auto Show: Honda’s New Insight