
Honda is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Insight, the first mass-produced hybrid in the United States

- Honda launched the Insight in December 1999 to celebrate 25 years of hybrid sales in the United States.
- This model will initially return 61 mpg city and 70 mpg highway.
- While the Insight never really caught on, 25% of Honda’s sales now come from hybrids.
Toyota is almost synonymous with hybrids, but Honda is celebrating a major milestone with the launch of their first hybrid in the United States 25 years ago. This is the futuristic Insight, which blends aerodynamics and electrification.
While the original model was less practical, it was EPA rated at 61 mpg city and 70 mpg highway. Despite the passage of time, Honda notes that the first-generation Insight “remains the most fuel-efficient non-electric vehicle ever produced in the United States.”
More: Honda Prelude to return as hybrid sports car
It’s worth noting, however, that the EPA “regularly updates its methodology to account for changes in vehicle technology, driver behavior, and/or driving conditions.” This helps explain why the government now says the 2000 Honda Insight has a city gas mileage of 49 MPG is 61 mpg highway and 53 mpg combined.
Those numbers aren’t nearly as impressive, but they’re still pretty impressive, especially when you consider that the 2025 Civic Hybrid gets 50 mpg city, 47 mpg highway, and 49 mpg combined. /gallon hour. So, how did the company achieve this 25 years ago?
All efforts were made to create a two-seater that was aerodynamically optimized, with a lightweight aluminum body and partial coverage of the rear wheels. The latter brings the Insight’s drag coefficient to 0.25.
These are still interesting attributes, but what’s more striking about the car is its hybrid powertrain, consisting of a 67-horsepower (50 kW / 68 PS) 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine and a 13-horsepower (10 kW / 14 PS) electric motor, and A small NiMH battery. They also came with a five-speed manual transmission, although later versions also offered a continuously variable transmission.
While the Insight never really caught on, despite being available for three generations, it was “the first production hybrid car sold in the United States.” However, it was overshadowed by the Toyota Prius, which still exists today.
Having said that, the Insight’s legacy continues, with 25% of Honda’s sales being hybrids. The CR-V was the best-selling hybrid car in the U.S. last year, while the Accord was the most popular hybrid sedan. In addition, about 40% of Civic customers choose hybrid power.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.