Paul Tan's Automotive Industry News

Honda Fit Hybrid to get Honda Insight engine

honda_fit_blue_red.jpg

Industry insiders have confirmed that Honda will be producing a hybrid version of the Honda Fit subcompact car, known as the Honda Jazz on our Malaysian shores. Rumours of a hybrid engined version of the Honda Fit was first reported by the Nihon Keizai, a big financial daily in Japan.

Nihon Keizai mentioned in it’s previous report that Honda is developing a new 1.0 liter hybrid engine for the Honda Fit hybrid, but an anonymous source said the Honda Fit hybrid will likely use the Honda Insight’s engine, a 1.0 liter 12 valve 3-cylinder Honda Integrated Motor Assist hybrid engine. The Fit would also likely replace the Honda Insight in it’s market segment, though production of the Insight would likely continue for bragging rights as one of the most fuel-efficient vehicle manufactured on US roads, though in reality it lost the title to the Messerschmitt KR200. It was also the first hybrid car to be on sale for the mass market in the US.

The Honda Insight engine is a SOHC inline-3 1.0 liter engine making 67 horsepower at 5700rpm in gasoline mode and 73 horsepower at 5700rpm with Integrated Motor Assist. It comes with both manual and CVT gearbox options. The Honda Insight was featured in the movie Be Cool, where it was called the Cadillac of hybrids. The 1.0 liter IMA engine won the International Engine of the Year award 2000, and held the Sub-1 liter category from 2001 to 2005.

13 Comments »

  1. xefron said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 3:12 am

    it won’t be cheap

  2. honda_driver said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 8:31 am

    exactly. hybrids are still waaay too expensive.

  3. Initial D said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 9:18 am

    nice but expensive…………but tat’s a save on petrol!!!

  4. kendo said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 10:15 am

    with 500k car units yearly,
    like aussie, UK,
    msia is attractive for these auto players
    to manfacture HUB here,
    include hybrid,
    but we all know
    “OLDMAN ego plan
    SCREW UP!!!!!!

  5. ingolstadt said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 10:37 am

    Hybrids are stupid.

  6. sepeng said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 11:37 am

    Malaysia is stil not the place for these fanny stuff!!

    Reason?? Of course our government.
    They cant even get rid those old “steels” from the road, and how ready are they to accept such high technology environment-friendly stuff huh??
    Just asking a monkey to use a rope….

  7. motorhead said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 2:48 pm

    No hybrid, yes diesel engines! Go biodiesel!

    ps: I wait for diesel engine motobikes.. they’ll produce soon.. i think..

  8. mystvearn said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 7:53 pm

    For a popular car, why is DRB not CKDing it?

  9. raybrig85 said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 8:05 pm

    swift is better than this car…cheap…even better in term of handling and behind the wheel….this car is still good looking but pricey…god..

  10. Joe Ooi said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 10:56 pm

    For Malaysia - hybrid between petrol and battery is not popular. But palm oil biodiesel is OK!

  11. NeedGoodCar said,

    May 9, 2006 @ 11:57 pm

    Seeing long queue for natural gas, I wonder if hybrid petro and battery is feasible, better do biodiesel.

  12. shaif said,

    May 10, 2006 @ 8:37 am

    Small turbodiesel will be fine. Malaysia need to refine its taxation to attract the use of small turbodiesel engine cars like Lupo, Getz. Or Proton use VW turbodiesel engine in its new car.

  13. mycar_stolen said,

    May 10, 2006 @ 4:58 pm

    shaif said,
    May 10, 2006 @ 8:37 am

    Small turbodiesel will be fine. Malaysia need to refine its taxation to attract the use of small turbodiesel engine cars like Lupo, Getz. Or Proton use VW turbodiesel engine in its new car.

    dear Shaif….
    your intension of getting all those nice thing is acceptable…but can you please erase/delete/buang/kasi humban ke laut ITU PROTON.
    this Proton wont do you good they only will squeeze you dry and make their crony belly bigger.
    your idea is good just dont relate to Proton.

    p/s Proton is not a business entity it is truly a political entity to make easy money out of “rakyat’ suffercations.
    20 years ++ is enough…STOP Malaysians should drive better car with better price.”why lowly msians need to pay the super expensive price for a car” and not mention the super duper efficient so called “public transport”.

    p/s 2 Proton is the biggest culprit of all of this industry problems..they also cost MALAYSIAN THE THOMAS CUP..if we do have better sponsor…we should won already….too much problem with the sponsor effect players focus…because they know their sponsor” no action talk only”

    p/s 3 just launched yesterda in the US. one unit USD 500.

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