The first hybrid in Europe.
In the mid-2000s, the Toyota Prius burst onto the automotive scene, becoming an icon of electrification. But, in reality, another one arrived before, although without the same success. This was one of those great cars that didn’t make it, the Honda Insight Mk1.
The Prius put Toyota at the forefront of hybrid technology, and the Japanese brand has long been known for its hybrid cars. However, before there was another Prius, the first generation, which did not have, by far, the same success and we did not see in Europe.
The first hybrid car to be marketed in Europe was also Japanese, but from a different brand. The Honda Insight opened the ban on electrified vehicles in the European market even before the new millennium began.
Great cars that didn’t make it: Honda Insight Mk1
More than two decades ago, in 1999, Honda decided to enter the field of electrification and develop a car powered by a hybrid system.
As is the case now, in 1999 the international context was dominated by the war, the war in Kosovo, and the NATO bombing of the former Yugoslavia, initiated unilaterally and, for the first time, without authorization from the UN Security Council.
Meanwhile, Honda began working on a global hybrid technology to apply it to the Insight, a very important model in the history of motorsports, becoming the first hybrid to be sold in Europe, although its sales were very buoyant.
Actually, it wasn’t with the Insight that Honda first experimented with electrification. Two years earlier, it launched the Honda EV Plus, a small purely electric utility vehicle, the first with a nickel metal hydride battery, whose range ranged between 60 and 80 miles.
Two years later, when Honda recalled the EV Plus, it introduced the Honda Hybrid VV Concept, a prototype that laid the foundation for the production version of the Insight.
Europe’s first hybrid
In November 1999, Honda began marketing the Ingisht, both in Europe and in the United States. The car had a very futuristic look, in which the aerodynamic component was essential.
The Insight’s design was characterized by its coupé line and its rounded shapes in search of the greatest possible efficiency. The most striking part was the side view, with the rear wheels hidden to improve wind resistance.
The first generation of the Honda Insight boasted a drag coefficient of just 0.25, a record figure not reached by some electric cars today.
Before talking about its mechanics, it is worth highlighting another feature of the Insignt: its weight. As you know, hybrid and electric cars are heavier, due to the batteries. However, the Japanese engineers did an enormous job to contain the weight of the car, until declaring only 890 kg, something unheard of.
To do this, the Japanese brand used light materials in large quantities, such as aluminum and plastic. The weight depended on the equipment of the car, but was always below 1,000 kg. Something incredible for a hybrid.
Honda Insight Hybrid System
Entering the mechanical section, the Insight’s hybrid system was made up of a 1.3-liter, three-cylinder gasoline engine with 72 hp and another 10 kW (14 hp) electric motor, which worked in certain situations, such as starting or in phases of acceleration.
The engine could be combined with a five-speed manual gearbox or a CVT continuously variable automatic transmission. Today a hybrid car with a manual transmission would seem strange to us.
The hybrid system was completed with a nickel metal hydride battery that feeds the electric motor and is recharged with the energy recovered during decelerations. Therefore, it had an energy recovery system during braking.
ahead of its time
The Honda Insight is one of those cars ahead of its time, a car that came too soon or that, perhaps, did not know how to sell in the mentality of the time. The first generation was on sale from November 1999 to September 2006.
Honda planned an annual production of 6,500 units. However, throughout its seven years in production, it only sold 17,020 examples of the Insight.
Just two years before finishing its production, the Prius arrived and we already know the story. But the Insight was the one that opened the door to sustainable mobility in Europe.
