Local News: Kah Motor officially launches the Honda Insight

Ms Tan Kheng Hwee, General Manager of Kah Motor, said, “The new Insight presents Honda‟s new dimension in fuel efficient motoring. Completely redesigned as a family friendly 5-seat, 5- door sedan, the Insight is not only the most affordable hybrid vehicle available today, it is also the most intelligent. Taking full advantage of Honda‟s hybrid power plant has never been easier. I am sure all our customers will enjoy owning and driving the new Insight hybrid.”
The 1st generation Honda Insight was also Honda‟s first hybrid vehicle. Conceived and built as a sporty 3-door sports coupe, the all-aluminum model was also Honda‟s advanced technology breakthrough.

The 2nd generation Insight is no different and continues this advanced image as a friendly 5-door hatch with space for 5 adults. In this new generation, it has not only achieved sporty looks and outstanding fuel economy; Honda has also added a new and intelligent ECO Assist System to enhance its "fun-to-drive‟ appeal.
The new ECO Assist System consists of a guidance function, a scoring function and Honda‟s ECON mode drive system. The guidance system changes the background colour of the speedometer from blue to turquoise to green, subtly reminding the driver to avoid aggressive acceleration and braking drive behavior. As you change your driving behaviour to drive progressive gentler and smoother, the colour changes from blue to turquoise to green. A Multi Information Display is built into the centre of the tachometer. Three new functions are added to the Multi Information Display – ECO Guide, Fuel Economy history and Energy Flow Display. The ECO Guide display shows scoring and your ECO status – information that is constantly updated and shown as you drive. The Fuel Economy history shows average fuel economy of
your last 3 drives and the Energy Flow Display shows the use of petrol and electrical power at any point in your current drive.
Pressing the big green “ECON” button on the right of the steering wheel activates the Insight economy drive mode. In this mode, the Electronic Control Module harmonizes the function of the engine, the IMA system, the CVT, the air-conditioning system and the cruise control system to support fuel efficient driving. By eradicating sudden surge in throttle movements, the ECON drive mode is able to cause these 5 key components to operate in a manner that is instrumental to fuel efficiency performance.

The new Insight embodies a new and unique "aero athlete‟ form, a high tech appearance, and practical features to complement modern urban living. It is available in 7 exterior colours and a chic all black interior that is previously not available. It is also no co-incidence that its external styling resembles Honda‟s advanced fuel cell car – the FCX. Aerodynamic performance is exemplary in its class.

“The all-new Insight reflects Honda‟s current philosophy in automobile development. Serious climate change has caused us to rethink the current technology that we use in Honda automobiles. We believe that Honda‟s i-VTEC hybrid system offers an immediate and affordable solution especially in a highly urban driving environment. The Insight‟s friendly 5-seat design also reflects this new philosophy,” said Mr. Vincent Ng, Product Manager of Kah Motor.

“Families will love the new Insight. Sharing its platform with the spacious Honda Jazz has given the Insight excellent interior space. The rear 60-40 split seats folds flat and makes loading cargo a breeze. The interior design features a two-tier multiplex meter and embodies a new level of quality and, fit and finish not found in its competitive price range. An integrated audio system featuring a USB 2.0 interface is standard. The intelligent ECO Assist System is centre to Honda‟s i-VTEC IMA hybrid engine, making eco driving intuitive and fun. The IMA‟s high starting torque output coupled with a quick start Continuously Variable Transmission, makes driving the Insight a smooth and enjoyable affair. It is also a safer drive - large-diameter front disc brakes, ABS and Vehicle Stability Assist are standard fit. The new Honda Insight sets new safety standards in a compact car and families will appreciate the new user friendliness of the Insight‟s design – especially its low running cost and the generous rear legroom.”

The all-new Insight is available in one generous trim level.
A 1339cc iVTEC IMA power plant provides a combined 98bhp and an excellent 167Nm of torque from 1000rpm to 2000rpm. A quick start mechanism is incorporated into the CVT to take full advantage of the Insight‟s high low-rpm torque character, providing instantaneous response from rest – perfect for city start-stop drives. Anti-lock Braking System, Vehicle Stability Assist and cruise control are standard.

The aero dynamic athlete exterior design form features a front headlight design with projector main beams. At the rear LED lighting is used to deliver a clean and advanced look. Side turn
LED indicators are mounted on the side mirror, adding a new dash of aesthetics and function. 16” alloy wheels are standard.

The cabin features a two-tier multiplex meter design and executes the functions of Honda‟s Eco Assist System – a speedometer with three changing background colours and a large multi information display (MID) to communicate drive information and engine operation conditions. MID controls mounted on the steering wheel provide easy access to this information quickly. A 160W 4-speaker CD audio system with USB interface is standard.

The Insight is Honda‟s second hybrid model in its Singapore line-up. Next year, it will be joined by the sporty 3-door coupe, the CR-Z. Honda will continue to add newer hybrid models in the next couple of years. It is expected that there will be at least three hybrid models in the Honda line-up by the end of 2011.

Kah Motor's new warranty programme is further proof of Honda‟s confidence in the new Insight hybrid. As a first in Singapore, Kah will offer a 5-year unlimited mileage warranty on the Insight IMA power train and that includes the engine, the electric motor, the Continuous Variable Transmission and the Integrated Power Unit (IPU).

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