It’s True: Honda Has Prius Clone — Designers Lack Creativity

Last month I reported on some Car & Driver spy photos that indicated Honda would be building a hybrid-only car that looked almost exactly like the Prius. Today, Honda confirmed that those spy photos were genuine — and that their designers don’t have any creativity.

• » See also: Prius Sales Could Soon Outpace Camry, Says President of Toyota U.S.A.
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Honda will be debuting the rebranded Insight hybrid at the 2008 Paris International Auto Show on October 2nd. Although Honda has already begun the spin machine claiming that the Insight Hybrid looks more like the FCX Clarity than the Prius, that certainly seems like a stretch to me. With the exception of the grill and the headlights, the rest of the Insight looks damn near like an exact replica of the Prius.

The Insight will use Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist™ hybrid technology which, Honda claims, has allowed them to achieve significant cost reductions — base model starting at $18,500 — making the Insight the most affordable hybrid vehicle to date. Along with the Civic Hybrid, the new vehicle will be produced at an expanded hybrid vehicle production line at the Suzuka factory in Japan.

Posts Related to Hybrids and Honda:

• Honda Begins “Production” of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle
• Report Claims Every New Car Will Be a Hybrid By 2020
• Late to the High Gas Price Party: Honda Building Prius Clone
• Toyota Prius to Get Solar Power
• Paul McCartney’s Lexus Hybrid Gets 4 MPG

Image Credits: Toyota and Honda

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