Following on the heels of the recently launched Civic and Accord sedans, Honda is now focusing on beefing up its green presence. This includes the launch of the second generation Clarity sedan, as well as the unveiling of its budget oriented companion, the 2019 Honda Insight.
Honda admits that it is a prototype at the moment, but the exterior styling of the 2019 Insight is largely production ready, and is perhaps the sleekest Insight we have seen yet. In addition, this new model also demonstrates the three generation evolution that has taken place, with the original Insight arriving as a three door hatchback, before evolving into a 5-door hatchback aimed at the Prius. That iteration didn’t resonate well with customers, and was subsequently axed for the 2014 model year.
Unlike its ancestors, this version of Insight adopts a sedan layout, and embraces a lot of design cues from the 10th generation Civic. Honda claims that the Insight is supposed to be a tier up from the Civic Hybrid, but we’ll wait until we see it in person to see if it indeed backs up that claim or if it comes up short in this category.
Under the hood of the Insight is Honda’s 2-Motor hybrid system which also sees duty in the 2018 Clarity and Accord Hybrids. Honda did not release any performance figures, but revealed that the car would be “competitive” with other compact hybrids. In short, that means duking it out with the benchmark Toyota Prius, as well as the new kid on the block, the Hyundai Ioniq. Unlike those two offerings, the Insight would face an uphill climb for relevance, but its sedan styling could appeal to buyers looking for a more traditional green offering.
The 2019 Honda Insight will make its official debut at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in January, with production slated to begin early next year at Honda’s Greensburg, Indiana plant where it will share space at the plant with the CR-V and the Civic lineup.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.