New Honda Insight will bridge the EV gap until Series 0 arrives next year
One of the original hybrids is coming back, with it a first-for-Honda powertrain
Honda has revealed an all-new generation of the Insight, the brand’s hi-tech model that kicked off the efficiency revolution alongside the Toyota Prius in the late nineties. However, this time the Insight will feature an all-electric powertrain, using Honda’s Chinese partners to fill the gap before its own EVs reach the road in 2027.
There is a caveat to this model, though, and it’s that production will be limited to just 3,000 units, and it’s expected that none of them will make it out of Honda’s Japanese domestic market. There is no plan to bring this model to the UK or Europe, but given the middling tech-specs this might not be any great loss.
The Insight’s Chinese connection refers to Honda’s partnership with Dongfeng, who jointly develops and builds certain Honda models for the Chinese market. The new Insight is one of these models, and otherwise known as the Honda eNS:2.
As a result, given that this car is already a few years old, it doesn’t push the boundaries in terms of battery technology or efficiency, offering a 310-mile CLTC range. This Chinese standard for measuring range is also quite generous – a European-sourced WLTP cycle will likely see this figure drop to around 250 miles.
Power is generated from a front-mounted electric motor with 200bhp and 310Nm of torque. But as with many Chinese models, the focus will be on interior space and comfort, with a large central touchscreen and an open-format interior.
So this isn’t the new high-end all-electric Honda we’ve been waiting for – something alluded to by the old-fashioned badge on the nose. Instead, this represents a short-term filler for the Japanese Honda range before its far more ambitious Series 0 models are revealed. The first of these – the more eccentrically styled Series 0 SUV – will be put into production in the middle of this year, with the first cars arriving in Europe from early 2027.
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