Hondas Insight: Make Hybrids Affordable!
As environmental concerns encourage the automotive industry towards producing greener than ever automobiles Honda plans to showcase it’s concept called Insight at the Paris International Auto Show. The automotive trade event Paris Motor Show will run from October 2 to 19 2008.
The new Insight Concept has styling features similar to the Honda FCX Clarity fuel cell vehicle and is claimed to be an early look at the highlyanticipated fivepassenger hybrid vehicle. It’s often the price of hybrids that’s cited as the reason for keeping many potential consumers away from purchasing hybrids. However Honda’s new vehicle going to be up for sale in the U.S. would be priced much below hybrids available today the company has said. Thus making hybrid technology affordabile and accessible. The original Honda Insight was introduced in December 1999 as America’s first gaselectric hybrid car.
The New Vehicle Is Expected To:
* Be at the forefront of fuel efficiency.
* Have a roomy five passenger cabin.
* Be offered as a hatchback with a fivedoor access.
* Have folding rear seats.
Off late car makers in America and Europe have had to lobby against initiatives attempting to make it obligatory for them to manufacture much more fuel efficient vehicles and with minimum emissions. For instance almost a year back and in US the car makers lobbied Congress against a proposal which would have forced them to achieve a fleetaverage fuel consumption 35 miles per gallon mpg by 2020. And in Europe German carmakers registered their protest against the European Commission’s proposal to impose financial penalties if their fleets emissions were more than 130 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre g/km by 2012.
The dynamics of the automotive industry have changed and it’s best if the auto manufacturers themselves initiate moving towards technologies that are in line with the consumers’ demand as well as environmental interests. Which for now seem to have merged pretty much.
About the writer: Fred is a journalist with 7 years of experience. Though as a professional he’s reported on myriad topics his favorites are the auto and the healthcare industry. Two platforms he’s previously worked on are Themedica and AutomotiveOnline. He now blogs at: Automobile Hotspot.
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