2010 Honda Insight Hybrid Production Car First Photo - World Debut in Detroit

Honda announced their intention to introduce the American spec all-new 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid at the Detroit Motor Show, and they did so by releasing the photo seen here. The new Insight quickly went from theory to reality, having been originally introduced as a concept at the Paris Auto Show this past October.

The five-seat, five-door Insight motors along on a lightweight, compact version of the Honda IMA hybrid powertrain. Indeed, Honda added some style to the new car by pulling the nose forward and shortening the back, giving it a much more driveable look than was previously expected. Now, instead of looking like the younger brother of the ugly-but-unique first generation Insight, the new model appears to be its sporty cousin.

Confirmation of the car's fuel efficiency were not released. Reports range from a respectible 40 miles per gallon up to 67mpg. We expect the car to be priced in the $20,000 range.

That price puts it in a position to outsell the Honda Civic hybrid, as well as the more expensive Toyota Prius. Honda anticipates "annual global sales of 200,000 units per year," according to a press release. Over 280,000 Prius models were sold in 2007, which makes us wonder if Honda will ultimately need to boost output of their new gas sipper.

Expect the all-new 2010 Honda Insight Hybrid to make a big splash next month.

Press Release

Honda Insight Hybrid to Make World Debut at the Detroit Motor Show

Honda has today given the first glimpse of the American specification, production version of the all-new 2010 Insight hybrid will make its world debut in January 2009 at the Detroit Motor Show.

This first image of the US version of Honda's latest production hybrid shows how the Insight Concept, first shown at Paris in October 2008, will be transferred into an aerodynamically inspired, athletic looking road car. The new five-passenger, five-door Insight is powered by a lighter, more compact version of Honda's IMA hybrid system and will go on sale in the spring.

The Insight is expected to have annual global sales of 200,000 units per year and will utilise a new interactive, driver-focused fuel economy enhancement technology named the Ecological Drive Assist System. The new feedback system gives the driver real time information about their driving performance, to help them reduce their fuel consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions.

A leader in the development of cleaner, more fuel-efficient mobility products, Honda introduced the first low-emission gasoline vehicles; first petrol-electric hybrid car in Europe and North America, and the world's first EPA-certified hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the FCX. In 2007, Honda was named "greenest automaker" by the Union of Concerned Scientists for the fourth straight time.