New-gen Honda Insight revealed

This is Honda's answer to the Toyota Prius.

Rekindling the Insight badge worn by the odd-looking three-door produced from 1999 to 2006, the newcomer is due to make its world debut at next month's Paris motor show and it goes on sale internationally in mid-2009.

Its more mainstream looks alone are likely to earn it greater acceptance among buyers than the original Insight, which was about as popular as ice cream cones on a frigid Melbourne morning.

Also weighing heavily in its favour will be keen pricing as Honda execs have publicly stated their intention of undercutting any other hybrid on the market.

If and when it goes on sale here (it's yet to be confirmed for our market), the Insight could wear a circa-$30K price tag, giving it a handy edge over the $37,000-plus Prius.

Honda has bold aspirations for the second-gen Insight and is targeting 200,000 global sales annually for the petrol-electric five-door hatchback (half of these are expected to be accounted for by the US alone).

Visually, the car clearly shares its design language with the hydrogen fuel-cell FCX Clarity, which the Carsales Network drove in prototype form last year (more here).

The Insight's motive power reportedly comes from a latest-generation IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) hybrid drivetrain that pairs a 1.4-litre iVTEC engine with an ultra-efficient electric motor.

Unlike the FCX Clarity, which uses cutting-edge lithium-ion batteries, the Insight makes do with more mainstream nickel metal hydride cells to keep costs down.

Overseas sources are tipping Scrooge-worthy fuel consumption of 3.5L/100km, and this attribute alone will obviously make it a popular choice among value-conscious motorists.

The Insight is underpinned by an all-new platform, and this architecture will be shared by the eventual production version of the sporty CR-Z (more here) that took its bows as a concept at last year's Tokyo motor show.

Honda boss Takeo Fukui has been quoted as saying the Insight will "break new ground by providing an affordable hybrid to an expanded number of customers craving great fuel economy and great value".

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