Honda Canada says it will put a "limited number" of its Insight gas- and electric-powered vehicle on sale on May 1 for $26,000.
The two-seat, aluminum-bodied vehicle has earned a Transport Canada fuel economy rating of 3.5litres of gasoline per 100 kms of combined city and highway driving.
Though Honda will be first onto the Canadian market with a hybrid, Toyota Canada will follow shortly thereafter with the Prius, which is a more functional 4-seater with more storage space. It's possible that Toyota Canada could announce Prius prices next week.
Bill Bunting of Honda Canada says that, "From the driver's viewpoint, the Honda Insight functions very much like an everyday 5-speed manual automobile."
Power comes from Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) parallel hybrid system, which uses a 1-litre inline-3 gasoline engine with variable valve timing for the primary propulsion and a permanent-magnet electric motor for those times when some acceleration is needed.
Bunting says this "new approach allows for a significant reduction in complexity and weight, providing for both high power output and low fuel consumption."
Also, an "idle stop" system stops the engine automatically when the vehicle comes to a stop if the transmission is shifted into neutral and the clutch is not engaged, to decrease fuel consumption.
The two-seat, aluminum-bodied vehicle has earned a Transport Canada fuel economy rating of 3.5litres of gasoline per 100 kms of combined city and highway driving.
Though Honda will be first onto the Canadian market with a hybrid, Toyota Canada will follow shortly thereafter with the Prius, which is a more functional 4-seater with more storage space. It's possible that Toyota Canada could announce Prius prices next week.
Bill Bunting of Honda Canada says that, "From the driver's viewpoint, the Honda Insight functions very much like an everyday 5-speed manual automobile."
Power comes from Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) parallel hybrid system, which uses a 1-litre inline-3 gasoline engine with variable valve timing for the primary propulsion and a permanent-magnet electric motor for those times when some acceleration is needed.
Bunting says this "new approach allows for a significant reduction in complexity and weight, providing for both high power output and low fuel consumption."
Also, an "idle stop" system stops the engine automatically when the vehicle comes to a stop if the transmission is shifted into neutral and the clutch is not engaged, to decrease fuel consumption.