Honda News
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The Japanese tuners at "Exclusive Zeus" may have unlocked some hidden potential in the Honda Insight. Just when you thought the new Toyota Prius had delivered the knockout blow to Honda's poorly selling hybrid, someone got the wild idea to turn the Insight into the world's first hybrid low-rider. We couldn't make this up if we tried. The modified Insight features a lowered suspension, some new West Coast Chopperish alloy wheels squeezed into low profile tires, side skirts, a front under-spoiler, a blacked out grill and a rear apron and diffuser. All of that adds up to the most fuel efficient...
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Dealers Taking Risks By Offering Cash For Clunkers Vouchers Before Guidelines are Finalized
The Cash For Clunkers program officially kicked off back on July 1st. For more details on this programs click here. Most dealers are eagerly awaiting the official guidelines for the program that are set to be released on July 24th. However, several dealership have taken the risky step of...
Eric Loveday -
Honda Planning Rapid Mid-Cycle Update to the Insight Hybrid
The Honda Insight got off to a quick start in Japan where it launched in March prior to the third generation Prius. However, the new Prius with its improved design, extreme efficiency, and robust ride and handling is quickly taking the wind out of the Insight's sail (or should I says sales). The...
Lyle Dennis -
House: $150 Million for R&D, Natural-Gas Hybrids--But No Tax Credits
Less than two weeks after a bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate to provide tax credits for buyers of natural-gas vehicles, or NGVs, the House has passed an entirely different bill that funds research and development of NGVs. Unlike the tax credits in Senate bill S.1408, which would...
John Voelcker -
Honda Hip To (More) Hybrids
Honda can never be accused of producing gas guzzlers. There's not an engine bigger than a 3.7 liter six cylinder in their stables. Japan's number two automaker had recently considered building a V8 for their luxury Acura division to compete with the likes of Lexus, Infiniti, and every other luxury...
Robert Scardino -
Prius Perks In Peril From Plug-In Privileges?
There's been a fair amount of grumbling about so-called "Prius perks," including parking spaces set aside for hybrid vehicles at Ikea, Whole Foods, and other retailers. In fact, the spaces--although designated "hybrid"--are more properly allocated to any alternative-fuel vehicle. That includes...
John Voelcker -
Today, Honda confirmed that the CR-Z and Fit Hybrids will be a 2010 models according to our partner site, GreenCarReports.com. These cars weren’t exactly secrets since automotive journalists have been writing and speculating about them since the first part of this year. In fact, I even reported on the new CR-Z back in April and posed this question: 2011 Honda CRZ Sports Hybrid: The future of the Sports Car? This question is especially appropriate as we see cars like the Chevrolet Volt, the Mini E and others coming closer to market. Sports cars will be a market segment that someone goes...
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Honda Confirms CR-Z Sports Hybrid For 2010
The new CEO of Honda, Takanobu Ito has confirmed a rumor we have heard for a while in an announcement last Friday. He said the company would be launching a CR-Z sports hybrid in February of 2010. Though the vehicle will continue to use the same 1.3 L VTEC engine found in Honda's Insight, it will...
Lyle Dennis -
Honda's Next Two Hybrids Coming Next Year
While the 2010 Honda Insight has gotten a lot of attention lately, it's far from Honda's only hybrid. Now the company has announced that it will put two more hybrid-electric vehicles on sale in Japan next year: the 2011 Honda CR-Z and the 2011 Honda Fit Hybrid. Honda had previously announced both...
John Voelcker -
Drive Report: 2010 Honda Insight
The 2010 Honda Insight was eagerly awaited before its launch, but reviews have been mixed. Some laud it for overachieving on the fuel economy front, while others (most notably the influential Consumer Reports) have slammed it. Our half-hour drive in a new Insight left us with mixed impressions. But...
John Voelcker -
Driving Green Becomes a Game, Now On Your iPhone
Even if you're not in a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, you too can grow green leaves on your dash display when you save fuel by driving with a light foot. Except in this case, the leaves appear on your iPhone 3G or 3G S, courtesy of Bliss Trek. It's the first eco-driving app for Apple's cult favorite...
John Voelcker -
The Few, The Proud...The Green? Marines Clean Up Camp Pendleton Wheels
Every time we make a joke involving the US Marine Corps, first we check it with our friend Cap'n Connors, a former Marine. With multiple deployments under his belt, and much multicolored art under his skin, the cap'n is our source for all things having to do with the most profane of the armed...
John Voelcker -
The hybrid war between the venerated 3rd generation Toyota Prius and the 2nd generation Honda Insight has barely begun, but its increasingly looking like Honda is the loser. Though the Honda was designed to be a low-cost "hybrid for everyone," the Priuses aggressive pricing and strong demand coupled with superior performance has the mild hybrid Insight on the ropes. The knock-out punch may have just been delivered by one of the most important sources for US buyers, Consumer Reports. The Consumer Reports reviewers found the car achieved 38 mpg average, which is lower that the car's 41 MPG city...
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Honda CR-Z Hybrid Rendering Revealed, New Info Inside
Japan's Best Car magazine recently released a new artist rendition of the upcoming Honda CR-Z hybrid. The vehicle's depiction differs only slightly from the prototype version but some new info on the vehicle has been reported. The magazine implies that Honda will go with a modified version of the...
Eric Loveday -
California HOV-Lane Stickers For Hybrids: Worth $1,200 To $1,500
Imagine a special sticker that let you use those high-occupancy vehicle lanes, zipping past stop-and-go rush hour traffic, blissfully alone in your car. If you live in California and were one of 85,000 lucky hybrid owners, you know exactly what I'm talking about. In 2005, California decided to open...
John Voelcker -
Honda May Offer Two More Hybrids Priced Below Insight
With sales of the Honda Insight below the target of 90,000 annual units, Honda is now considering offering two additional hybrids that would undercut the price of the Insight. There are no details at this time as to what the models may be, or what vehicle they could be based on, or even a time...
Eric Loveday -
VIDEO: Hot Hybrid Racing Action - Prius vs. Insight
Hybrids aren't known for blistering performance, but that didn't stop one UK automotive publication from putting two of the most popular fuel misers on the drag strip. In a recent comparison of the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight, iMotor performed the standing quarter mile in both cars. Needless...
Robert Scardino -
2010 Toyota Prius vs. 2010 Honda Insight: Running The Numbers
If you've been comparing the new 2010 Toyota Prius to the smaller, less expensive 2010 Honda Insight, Toyota would like to have a little chat with you. They think that you think you'll save money buying the cheaper Insight. So, licking the corporate pencil and pulling out the compact calculator...
John Voelcker -
Very few people in the world have months of experience behind the wheel of both a Toyota Prius and the new 2010 Honda Insight. Our 16-year-old Silicon Valley correspondent Kyle is one of those few people, and we asked him to sum up the pros and cons of the two cars. His impressions roughly map to those of professional reviewers, but they come from the specific needs of a busy teenager who needs to get himself around, haul people and their gear, while spending as little as possible at the pump. Here goes. What would you want someone who's comparison-shopping to know, and how would you sum up...
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Toyota Prius vs 2010 Honda Insight: Kyle Compares Gas Mileage
Gas mileage is a fraught subject, even among hybrid drivers. Some compete to see who can 'hypermile' the hardest and return figures in the 70-plus-mpg range; others drive it like they stole it, figuring they'll still get better mileage than in a non-hybrid driven the same way. Our intreprid teenage...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius vs 2010 Honda Insight: Kyle Considers Interior Space
Kyle, our high-school correspondent, spends a lot of time driving himself among classes, sports events, and the other commitments in a heavily scheduled teenager's life. And often it's not just him in the car. Remember the old days of riding around with your friends? Kyle does his share of carpool...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius vs 2010 Honda Insight: Kyle Drives Each One
Yesterday we introduced Kyle, our Silicon Valley teenage reviewer who's only ever driven hybrid cars. He's now been using a 2010 Honda Insight for two months after driving the family's Toyota Prius for six. Our first piece yesterday covered Kyle's overall impressions; over the next few days, we'll...
John Voelcker -
Toyota Prius vs 2010 Honda Insight: Kyle's Unique Comparison Test
It's one of the most hotly debated matchups in the auto world these days: How does the Toyota Prius compare to the new 2010 Honda Insight? Lots of car sites have compared the Insight to the 2010 Toyota Prius, including us. We've also turned to an expert for help. Our latest correspondent, Kyle, is...
John Voelcker -
Responses Are In, Detroit Free Press Readers Critical of Negative Review of Insight
Earlier this week, we posted a review by the Detroit Free Press which was as some would say overly critical of the new Honda Insight. We have received several comments regarding the article and the vehicle, most of which were praising the Insight. Owners chimed in stating that their gas mileage...
Eric Loveday