Globe & Mail; Insight into Honda's hybrid plans

Jeremy Cato, October 2, 2008 at 10:27 AM EDT

PARIS -- Honda rarely, rarely tips its hand about future products. This is a secretive company, secretive to the point of being a bit paranoid.

So it was a surprise to see the Japanese auto maker jump the gun with pictures and selective tidbits about the Honda Insight hybrid-electric car it will put on sale next April – and show tomorrow at the Paris Auto Show.

Now the five-passenger hatchback Honda will show in Paris is officially a “concept.” Ignore that. Honda types say the production Insight will be almost identical to the concept. It is unusual for Honda to tout a car that won't go on sale for months, to leak details, share pictures and the like. Honda is doing this to steal Toyota's thunder.

Toyota, of course, is the world leader at selling hybrids. Honda has never liked that, not given that Honda actually beat Toyota to market in North America with its two-door hybrid. It did not sell well and neither have the Accord Hybrid – discontinued – and the Civic Hybrid.

So far, Honda's hybrid efforts have been a bit embarrassing – especially so for a company that prides itself on being a so-called engine company dominated by the smartest of engineers.

What we're seeing now is Honda in fighting mode. The Wall Street Journal argues that the Insight is “likely to pose the most formidable threat to Toyota” we've yet seen on the hybrid front – “delivering greenness for fewer greenbacks.”

Honda officials have led me to believe that the Insight will be highly affordable, selling in the $22,000-range or so in Canada. At that price, Honda is expecting to sell 100,000 or more Insights a year – perhaps more. Ten thousand of those might be sold in Canada.

Except Honda won't be alone in challenging Toyota and that means those sales numbers might be a stretch. General Motors already sells a slew of different hybrids, Ford has the Escape Hybrid and more like it coming in a few months, Nissan is pushing ahead, Chrysler has a wide-ranging electric car program in the works and on and on.

Oh, and did I mention the Santa Fe Hybrid Hyundai is showing in Paris?

More from Paris tomorrow, right here.

Source;
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081002.WBdriving20081002102719/WBStory/WBdriving