Honda Insight (Spy)

[Davideg87]

molto simile alla prius, soprattutto nella coda..

[Matteo B.]

Un'altra ciabatta sul mercato...

[Touareg 2.5]

Il ciabattone sarà in vendita a quanto pare ad Aprile..

[Touareg 2.5]

Giovedì sarà presentato il concept ..

[Maxwell61]

Giovedì sarà presentato il concept ..

[Touareg 2.5]

Honda to Reveal Concept version of its Prius-Fighter on Thursday, September 4th

Looks like we won’t have to wait until next month’s Paris Show to get a first glimpse of Honda’s new Prius-fighter as according to a report from Just-Auto, the Japanese automaker will unveil the concept version of its standalone hybrid model on Thursday, September 4th. According to CarScoop sources, the production version of Honda’s dedicated hybrid model (see rendering here) will be unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show in January, 2009.

Speaking with journalists at the European launch of the new Jazz (Fit) in Frankfurt, Germany, Honda UK’s environmental manager John Kingston said that the new standalone hybrid model will play a very important role in the company’s future. “"It is a very important car for Honda and our future direction. This is a car that will change customer perception of hybrids."

"This is key for us and to achieve this hybrids have to be made more affordable - the key barrier to hybrid sales is price and we want to break that barrier," added Kingston.

In terms of pricing, although Kingston did not reveal specific details, he did note that Honda’s aim is to price its new global hybrid at the same levels as conventional cars from rival manufacturers.

Built on a new platform, Honda’s compact-sized five-door hatchback will use a revised version of the Civic IMA’s mild-hybrid powertrain. Among other developments, the powertain’s key components is said to be more compact and placed under the cargo space instead of behind the rear seats, as in the current Civic IMA.

[Maxwell61]

L'annuncio suona bene ma lo "standalone" ci dice purtroppo che non sarà plug-in......peccato.....

[Regazzoni]

L'annuncio suona bene ma lo "standalone" ci dice purtroppo che non sarà plug-in......peccato.....

Credo che "standalone hybrid model" sia inteso come modello esclusivamente ibrido, ovvero non la versione ibrida di una vettura esistente, ma nata ibrida ed esclusivamente con questa tipologia.

Come, ad esempio, la Prius e a differenza delle ibride Lexus.

[j]

NEW INSIGHT TECHNOLOGY HELPS DRIVERS MAXIMISE FUEL ECONOMY

Dashboard display encourages and rewards greener driving styles

Honda has announced a new Ecological Drive Assist System to help drivers achieve better fuel economy. The technology will feature on the new Insight family hybrid car, which goes on sale in spring 2009.

It will be the world’s first system to combine three different functions to enhance fuel economy: an ECON Mode which controls engine, transmission and other powertrain components to support more fuel-efficient driving; a guidance function that helps drivers become more fuel efficient behind the wheel using the colour of the speedometer display; and a scoring function that provides instant and long term feedback on driving techniques, after each journey.

Honda developed the Ecological Drive Assist System to help its customers improve their fuel economy in real world conditions. The scoring function provides cumulative, long-term feedback through graphic ‘leaves’, which ‘grow’ over time as drivers learn and then implement a smooth driving style that boosts fuel economy. The visual nature of the scoring function display makes it easy and enjoyable for drivers to improve the efficiency of their driving skills over time.

“Hybrid technology delivers great fuel economy and low emissions, but these can both be affected by driving style,” says John Kingston, Government Affairs and Environment Manager at Honda (UK). “This new package encourages greener, more efficient driving, in a fun and engaging way.”

The technology will further boost the appeal of the Insight, which is due to hit UK showrooms in the spring next year. Honda has already announced that the 5-door family car will be significantly lower in price to any other hybrid on the market, making petrol-electric technology accessible to more people.

A production version of Insight will be unveiled at the Detroit Motor Show, in January 2009.

To learn more about Honda’s Ecological Drive Assist System and the new Honda Insight, please visit: Honda - Ecological Drive Assist System

Key features of the Ecological Drive Assist System

1. ECON Mode

By pushing an ECON button on the dashboard, drivers can engage ECON mode to support more fuel efficient driving.

As well as controlling the engine, CVT and other powertrain components, ECON Mode also adjusts the air conditioning unit, extends idle stop time and increases regenerative recharging during deceleration to enhance the fuel efficiency of the Insight.

2. Guidance function

The main part of the guidance function is an ambient meter in the form of a background colour behind the speedometer display that changes to indicate real time fuel consumption.

The ambient meter displays a green colour when fuel-efficient driving is being achieved: a blue-green colour when relatively fuel-efficient driving is being achieved with smooth acceleration and deceleration; and a blue colour during heavy fuel consumption.

The ambient meter makes the driver aware of real-time fuel consumption patterns, and encourages the driver to be more fuel efficient, while trying to maintain the green colour display.

The Ambient Meter is the world’s first technology of its kind that encourages environmentally-responsible driving by responding to braking practices as well as acceleration.

3. Scoring function

The aim of the scoring function is to engage drivers in more fuel efficient driving, and encourage them to develop a more environmentally-responsible driving style.

The scoring function is located within the Multi-Information-Display, in the centre of the instrument panel. This part of the Ecological Drive Assist System uses graphics of tree leaves to ‘score’ the fuel-efficiency of the driver’s performance.

While the ignition switch is turned on, the display shows a score reflecting the real time driving performance.

When the ignition switch is turned off, the ‘leaves’ in the top row display a score for the journey just completed, while a horizontal bar in the bottom row of the display gives a ‘lifetime score’ that represents cumulative lifetime performance.

The Multi-Information Display also allows drivers to view fuel economy figures for the past three trips, as well as instantaneous and average fuel economy statistics.

When the technology debuts in the Insight in the spring, it will be the world’s first function of its kind to provide real-time and post-trip assessments of the impact of driving habits on fuel economy.

[j]

Ecological Drive Assist System di Honda

Guidare ecologici sulla prossima Insight

Dopo la presentazione della Insight in forma di concept e in attesa del modello di serie atteso per il prossimo Salone di Detroit a gennaio, Honda comincia a svelare pezzo per pezzo la vettura ibrida con la quale conta di andare all’attacco della Toyota Prius proponendo un’auto dalla forma simile e con un sistema ibrido semplificato a un prezzo del 20% più basso per arrivare a produrne 200mila all’anno. Uno dei particolari che troveremo sulla Insight sarà l’Ecological Drive Assist System, un sistema per sfruttare al massimo le potenzialità della trazione ibrida traendone il massimo beneficio in termini di consumo ed emissioni.

Il sistema dà tre possibilità. La prima è di selezionare la modalità ECON e lasciare che l’elettronica di controllo del sistema ibrido faccia funzionare i due motori e il cambio CVT nel modo più economico possibile riducendo al massimo l’uso del climatizzatore e massimizzando il recupero dell’energia in frenata e della funzione auto-stop. La seconda è l’Ambient Meter, un modo per segnalare, attraverso i colori proiettati sul tachimetro, al conducente la guida più efficiente: verde quando si è bravi, verde-blu quando si potrebbe fare meglio e blu quando siamo proprio fuori strada se vogliamo risparmiare. La terza infine è una sorta di pallottoliere e tiene il punteggio del nostro comportamento ecologico attraverso foglioline visualizzate sul display centrale della strumentazione. Tre i valori: quello generale, quello che riguarda il giorno precedente e infine quello che ci dice come ce la stiamo cavando sul percorso che stiamo effettuando. C’è poi la possibilità di confrontare le foglioline con i consumi, sia quelli medi sia quelli istantanei.

Si tratta quindi di una specie di gioco meno ingegneristico di quello che è presente sulla Prius basato invece su istogrammi che ci informano sulla nostra condotta di guida. Essere ecologici e risparmiosi in questo modo diventa una sfida e vincere restituisce peso alle nostre tasche e pulizia all’aria che respiriamo.