Honda is relaunching the Insight yet again, with a fourth-generation model; however, it will be reserved for the Japanese market. This time, the Insight takes the form of a fully electric compact SUV.
“This is a vehicle solely for Japan. Its commercialization in Canada is not part of our plans,” Maxime Caron, Honda Canada Director of Communications and Foundation, told Auto123.
The new Insight is the result of a collaboration between GAC Honda and Dongfeng Honda for the Chinese market. The Insight's equivalents, the e:NS2 and e:NP2, have been sold in China since 2024. This is not, of course, the first time Honda has entered into a partnership to market an electric vehicle. Honda and Acura previously turned to General Motors for the launch of the Prologue and ZDX in North America.
Honda is claiming a range of 500 km is announced for the new Insight, though that figure is for the more-generous WLTP cycle.
The automaker has yet to announce pricing for its reborn and transformed Insight. Production is scheduled to begin on March 19, though Honda plans to restrict the number of units made to 3,000 for the Japanese market.
About the Honda Insight
When it first launched in 1999, the Insight was a small three-door car with a bold and singular style. It also stood out through the integration of hybrid technology. A pioneer of the format, it just beat Toyota and its Prius to the North American market.
The Insight disappeared for the first time in 2006 before being reintroduced in 2009. The second generation of the model took the form of a five-door hybrid car and stayed on Honda’s active roster until 2015. At which time Honda pulled it, before introducing a new Insight in 2018 as a hybrid sedan, which it until 2022.
