Green Cars: No,.. not not the color...

[Brock Samson]

 



http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/10/honda-wants-the.html

A New Honda Insight Hybred:
By Chuck Squatriglia
reprinted from WIRED.

  "Honda Motor Co. wants to challenge the eco-supremacy of the Toyota Prius and bring hybrids to the masses with the dirt-cheap gas-electric Insight hatchback it unveiled today at the Paris Motor Show.

Honda isn't saying what the Insight will cost when it rolls into showrooms next spring, but it's widely expected to go for as little as $18,500 and no more than $20,000. That's significantly cheaper than the Prius, which starts at 22 grand but goes for an average of $26,672 when you can find one. "This new Insight will give more people the chance to get behind the wheel of a high-quality hybrid vehicle," Tekeo Fukui, Honda's president and CEO, said in Paris.

Although the Japanese automaker was the first to sell hybrids in America when it rolled out the original Insight in 1999, it's been choking on Toyota's dust since the Prius arrived in 2001. The green set has bought more than 1 million of them, and Toyota holds 79 percent of the global market for gas-electric vehicles. Honda bets it can get a bigger piece of that pie by taking hybrids into what Fukui called "a new era of affordability." Considering Toyota can't build the Prius fast enough to meet demand, auto industry watchers expect Honda to clean up by undercutting its competition.

"Anyone who says 'We've got a car that does what the Prius does and it's several thousand cheaper' will sell every car it builds," Aaron Bragman, an industry analyst with Global Insight told Wired.com. "People will beat a path to their door."

For all the attention they get, hybrids are still just 3 percent of the domestic market. Their relatively high price is one reason they've been slow to catch on, Mike Omotoso of J.D. Power and Associates told Wired.com. The Insight could provide the price breakthrough the technology needs to take off.

"The new Insight is a good idea for Honda and for the hybrid market in general," he said. "It undercuts the Prius by about $5,000 and is within reach of the average car buyer, especially in these tough economic times."

Honda says the car it unveiled in Paris is just a concept, but the production model we'll see at the Detroit Auto Show in January is not expected to look significantly different. The Insight bears more than a passing resemblance to the Prius -- although the front end was clearly inspired by the FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle, the general shape is reminiscent of the car Honda hopes to unseat as the darling of the eco-conscious set. That is, to a certain degree, unavoidable, as General Motors discovered while designing the Chevrolet Volt. Aerodynamic efficiency is the name of the game when going for maximum fuel economy, and the laws of physics and aerodynamics give designers only so much leeway. Still, the Insight has sharper lines and a more aggressive look than the Prius, and it isn't so funky as the car it's named for.

"The new Insight should do a lot better than the original because it will look more like a normal car and less like a toy, and it will be bigger, more comfortable and more powerful," Omotoso said.

Look for it to do better than the Civic and Accord hybrids, which looked just like their gasoline counterparts but for the small "hybrid" badges on their rear ends. One reason the Prius has out-sold Honda's hybrids four to one is because it all but screams, "I care about the environment!" Honda executives have said the company reevaluated its strategy of building hybrid versions of existing models and decided a dedicated model would sell better.

The Insight, like all of Honda's hybrids, uses a "mild" hybrid system where the primary source of power is a gasoline engine assisted by an electric motor. The Prius, on the other hand, is a "full" hybrid system that uses battery power at low speeds and switches to gasoline at higher speeds. Honda hasn't released any specifics on the Insight's drivetrain or performance but says it will use a 1.3-liter gasoline engine an an updated version of the Integrated Motor Assist system found in the Civic Hybrid. Like Toyota, Honda is sticking with nickel-metal hydride batteries because it doesn't think lithium-ion technology is ready for prime-time. No word yet on fuel economy, but Honda says it's expected to top the Civic Hybrid's 45 mpg. That puts it in the same ballpark as the Prius, which gets 48 mpg city/45 highway, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Insight will arrive in showrooms on April 22 -- Earth Day -- and Honda expects to sell 200,000 of them annually.

[Brock Samson]

BTW:
who's gonna be the first here to build a hybred Charger?.. 

[TeeWJay426]

Looks like a door stop on wheels.....

[Troy]

Looks like a door stop on wheels.....

But it still looks slightly better than the Prius - although that isn't too hard to accomplish.

On a related note, I was on a long trip this week and was passed several times by people in Prius' (Priuses?). Since I was going anywhere from 65-80 mph I'm wondering if these people have a clue that the efficiency of their car degrades rapidly above about 60-65 mph? They could get better - or at least equivalent - mileage with a Corolla at those speeds and save $10k on the purchase price. These types of cars are great in the city or for commuting at lower speeds but they don't make a lot of sense if you spend much time on the highway.

Troy

[Brock Samson]

http://nextbigfuture.com/2008/09/free-piston-engine-could-be-twice-as.html

[Joshua]

I realize this is the "general discussion" section.....but JESUS,,,,some of the threads on here are just, well.....

[WingCharger]

Lets freakin put a electric engine in a Charger! Sponsor it by dodgecharger.com, and all member who are active get a take of the profit!

[moparstuart]

 my car is very green , you just have to push it   

[pettyfan43]

Reminds me of the episode of Nash Bridges when the lady prosecutor (Yasmine Bleeth I think) was added to the show. She was driving some kind of hybrid sports car.
She parked the car in the Cuda's spot and Nash asked her what the hell that was. She said it was a hybrid, it was politically correct, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. Then she looks at that Cuda and asked "What's that thing?"

Nash grins and says "none of the above, but it's a HELL of a lot of fun to drive!!!"

[Mike DC]

With the current crop of hybrids, the car makes have basically found their diet soda or lite cigarettes.  Realistically it's not any improvement to speak of, but it assuages the buyer's guilt about purchasing an evil automobile.

[Old Moparz]

Prius' (Priuses?)

Troy

I'm thinking it might be "Priuii"   

[kab69440]

Prius' (Priuses?)

Troy

I'm thinking it might be "Priuii"   

More correctly, it would be Prii (Pre-eye)

[Brock Samson]

then, it follows a bunch of Insights would be... Insigh?.. 

[Ghoste]

How about electric turds?

[69charger2002]

Looks like a door stop on wheels.....

But it still looks slightly better than the Prius - although that isn't too hard to accomplish.

On a related note, I was on a long trip this week and was passed several times by people in Prius' (Priuses?). Since I was going anywhere from 65-80 mph I'm wondering if these people have a clue that the efficiency of their car degrades rapidly above about 60-65 mph? They could get better - or at least equivalent - mileage with a Corolla at those speeds and save $10k on the purchase price. These types of cars are great in the city or for commuting at lower speeds but they don't make a lot of sense if you spend much time on the highway.

Troy

not to hijack, but that wasn't a long trip was it???

[Troy]

Looks like a door stop on wheels.....

But it still looks slightly better than the Prius - although that isn't too hard to accomplish.

On a related note, I was on a long trip this week and was passed several times by people in Prius' (Priuses?). Since I was going anywhere from 65-80 mph I'm wondering if these people have a clue that the efficiency of their car degrades rapidly above about 60-65 mph? They could get better - or at least equivalent - mileage with a Corolla at those speeds and save $10k on the purchase price. These types of cars are great in the city or for commuting at lower speeds but they don't make a lot of sense if you spend much time on the highway.

Troy

not to hijack, but that wasn't a long trip was it???

Not at all... Left Tuesday evening and I got back in my own bed at 2:30 AM on Friday. The weather sure was nice though.

Troy

[PocketThunder]

my car is very green , you just have to push it   

you mean that car moves under its own power???           





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_TcszezOVE&feature=related

[wetfeetmi]

 Why do you criticize a hybrid or any other new vehicle technology so severely? Variety is the spice of life. It would be a boring world we live in if everybody drove nothing but Chargers.
My commuter car is a diesel Beetle and my wife drives her new Camry Hybrid every day. The hybrid is an amazing vehicle that is one of the most comfortable car I have ever driven. The best tank of gas to date averaged 42.2 m.p.g. combined(not to mention the environmental benefit). We love it and would recommend anybody looking for a new car to buy the same. When we want a little automotive kick we choose the Charger or the T-bird.
If you nay sayers continue to ignore the new hybrid or any other technology, that is fine with me. I will be the one waving at you sitting on your front porch because you can't afford to leave your house when gas hits $5.00 a gallon. Good luck and take care...

[bull]

Looks like a door stop on wheels.....

But it still looks slightly better than the Prius - although that isn't too hard to accomplish.

Troy

And it looks waaaaaaaaaay better looking than the original Insight...

[bull]

Prius' (Priuses?)

Troy

I'm thinking it might be "Priuii"   

Pious is what I like to call it.

[dodgecharger-fan]

Not a Charger, but at MOPAR..

http://blog.cardomain.com/blog/2008/...mp_id=EMC-News

I've seen some comments about how he could have done better on the battery choice to get better power and range, but I think it was a question of funds. I don't know either way.

It's cool but kooky at the same time.
I like it, but I don't know if I would or could do it to an old MOPAR.

One thing's for sure, the range would have to be a whole lot better for me to even consider something like it.
And I'd need highway speeds too.

[Kevin68N71]

MikeDC has it basically right.  Many of these purchases are by people who want to make a political statement.  My neighbor even admits that much!

But what is really amazing is people who will buy a new car for the sole purpose of gas mileage.  If you already get decent mileage, it will take you years of driving the new car to make up the cost of the new car, PLUS the premium on a hybrid.  Doesn't make much sense.

[Brock Samson]

here's a hybrid kit car you can make yourself..

http://www.rqriley.com/xr3.htm

[dodgecharger-fan]

Somewhere, I have the issue in which this article first ran: http://www.rqriley.com/cent.html

It's funny, when I saw the layout of the frame for the XR3, I noticed the Kuboto engine and thought of that article right away.
A click or two later and I'm looking at the exact car that popped in to my head.

Me luv da Innerwebs.

[Brock Samson]

the "car", ok, trike... has the worlds biggest blindspot.... it don't look ready for primetime but I think there will be some interesting alternatives comming along in a yr or so.. i just dread the evershrinking of the parking spot and $5.00 gas...