6^th November, 2000

Insight hybrid vehicle to be sold `Down Under’

Honda Australia plans to import the world’s most efficient petrol powered car, the Insight, in the first half of next year.

The Insight will go on sale around the country, to help test the potential for mass sale of Honda’s world-first petrol/electric technology.

The aluminium-bodied Insight is powered by the world’s lightest 1.0-litre lean-burn VTEC engine that works in tandem with Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA), a system that boosts acceleration using an ultra-thin brushless DC electric motor, thereby reducing demand on the petrol engine to save fuel and improve performance.

During deceleration, the electric motor becomes a generator to transform kinetic energy into electricity and store it in a nickel metal hydride battery. This braking energy was previously wasted in the form of heat.

Insight conserves fuel with an "automatic idle stop" system that stops the engine automatically when the vehicle is stationary. Special tyres have been developed with a 40 per cent reduction in rolling resistance to also significantly reduce fuel consumption.

The innovative hybrid achieved world-low consumption figures of 3.85 litres per 100 km and a highway rating of 3.36 litres per 100 km during independent tests conducted by the United States Environmental Protection Authority.

A super light aluminium body also contributes to the Insight’s fuel efficiency. Honda has produced a highly rigid body with advanced safety performance in a package that is around 40 per cent lighter than an equivalent steel body – the Insight weighs just 820kg in manual transmission form.