Honda Focus on Affordability With Insight

Promising It will be the Most Affordable hybrid yet, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. President Takeo Fukui stresses simplicity and low cost in unveiling a concept version of the Insight Hybrid.

The car, a conservatively styled 5-door hatchback, is a stark contrast with the original Honda Insight, an aluminum-intensive 2-seater that featured very futuristic styling.

Introduced in the U.S. before Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius, the original Insight was the most fuel-efficient car in America, getting highway mileage as high as 70 mpg (3.4 L/100 km).

Despite its efficiency, the little car never caught on and was completely overshadowed by the Prius.

Practicality is the rule with the new-generation Insight. It will have more interior room than the current Honda Civic Hybrid sedan.