I am a staunch defender of the original Honda Insight. The two-door, streamlined hybrid hatch looked stunning thanks to its aero-focused rear wheel covers, and even came with a manual transmission. It was the most efficient mass-produced vehicle to be sold in the U.S. upon its release at the turn of the century, and has since developed a cult following for its design and insane efficiency numbers.
The second- and third-generation Insights, released in 2009 and 2018, respectively, brought innovations of their own, but they looked far less distinctive, and didn’t deliver the same fuel-sipping economy numbers. Slowly, the Insight nameplate faded into irrelevancy until the model was dropped from Honda’s lineup in 2022.
Now, the Insight is finally back. And for the first time, it’s no longer a hybrid, but a full-on electric vehicle. It’s also no longer a hatchback, but a tall-riding crossover. It can get over 311 miles of range on the European cycle, but sadly, it’s not coming to America.
A Honda North America representative confirmed to me over email that the new Insight is being sold “exclusively for the Japanese market.” So if you’ve always dreamed about having a semi-affordable Honda EV to shuttle you back and forth to work, you’re going to have to keep waiting.
It’s a shame, because this new Insight seems pretty appealing. It has a distinctive design, with a Civic-like nose and sharper headlights, which include integrated boomerang-shaped daytime running lights running down either side of the bumper. There’s also a strip of light running through the center of the bumper, illuminating the Honda badge, which I’m not so sure about. The rear end, meanwhile, reminds me a lot of the Toyota bZ4X, with another beam across the rear hatch and vertical lights on either end.
This design isn’t exactly new, since the new Insight is actually based on the e:NS2, an electric crossover spawned in 2024 through a joint venture in China between Honda and Dongfeng. The interior, similarly, matches up with that car, using a massive 12.8-inch touchscreen to control everything from climate to entertainment.
That screen is paired to a 9.4-inch digital instrument cluster and comes with stuff like a head-up display and a 12-speaker Bose stereo. There are at least real buttons on the steering wheel and on the center console to actuate the transmission and select drive modes.
Underneath, the Insight predictably shares the e:NS2’s powertrain. That means a 68.8-kWh battery pack sending thrust to the front wheels via a single electric motor, rated at 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. For what it’s worth, that’s 50 more horses and 32 more lb-ft, respectively, than the last Insight. But this car is also probably a bit heavier, so don’t expect huge gains in performance.
There’s no word on how much the new Insight will cost in Japan, but whatever the number is, it wouldn’t reflect theoretical pricing stateside. Being built in China, import tariffs would make the Insight far more expensive than if it were built virtually anywhere else, so don’t expect Honda to eventually bring it here unless some drastic policy changes take place. Depending on how it holds up over 25 years, it might make a decent niche JDM import, though.
Top graphic image: Honda
I don’t see the awesomeness. It looks generic and a bit hideous. The original was no looker but it was fairly unique and kind of cool.
This Insight and the Mazda 6e sold overseas indicates joint ventures with American and Japanese automakers to rebadge and federalize China market vehicles will be the most sensible path for Chinese manufactures to enter the U.S.market. Even a slight relaxation of tariffs may result in the lower end of the auto market to be filled with Chinese compacts rebadged as Fords, Chevys, and Mazdas.
instead we have the middle of the market filled with Chinese Buicks, Lincolns, and Volvos?
I object to the use of “awesome looking” as well as “crossover”. This is an ugly hatchback. Wheels are too small and far too inboard.
Honda is importing this to Japan because it isn’t selling in China. At 311 miles WLTP, I can see why.
This would be 250 miles EPA in the best of conditions. The market has moved past those range figures and Americans have voted with their wallets. It wouldn’t work here anyway.
“Awesome-looking”? Uh, no. The front and rear overhangs are way too large. The wheels need to get pushed to the corners more. Calling this over-styled is an understatement. And what’s with the two separate charge port doors? Why not one dead set in the front like the first Leaf? I swear the only good looking Honda is the Prelude, but that car is a major disappointment in every other measure.
“what’s with the two separate charge port doors?”
It allows for two ways of charging.
“Why not one dead set in the front like the first Leaf?”
Woof.
The tenth gen Civic was overstyled, but it had its moments. I can’t even get my eyes to take in this entire car because there are so many disjointed and dissonant styling elements.
What the hell happened to the e’s styling language?
At a glance, I thought it was an Ioniq 5. Then I registered all the contradicting design elements.
And then, wretched motorized door handles, and something as “efficiency-focused” as the Insight name shouldn’t be a “high-riding crossover”, it should be more like the Ioniq 6. A streamliner of sorts. Call this the Crosstour EV; though I think the original Crosstour also looked much better than this thing.
Not coming to the U.S. ?? Hurray. That thing is hideous.
This is to the original Insight as the Mustang Mach E is to the original 1964-1/2 Mustang.
It’s not bad, it’s just strayed rather far from its roots. I bet this weighs almost three OG Insights.
I feel like they could call the this Honda Compromise and it would be accurate. It feels like it wants to please too many demographics and will please few.
The rear proportions look odd and give me CrossTour vibes. I think the hatch needs a little less rake to it. Also can Toyota just steal this interior design. From the photos I’ve seen the new design language for the bZ range interiors looks absolutely dreadful. This at least looks like a more polished take on the mass produced minimalistic car interior.
Someone screwed up and posted the wrong photos.
Where is this “awesome looking” crossover that I was promised?
If identity crisis was a car …
Ford Thunderbird
Chevy SSR?
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
1st gen Toyota Mirai?
Any word on when the supply chain will open up and there will be enough proper door handles available to also put them on the rear doors? It seems like we are in a period of deep rationing…
It looks like if the Ioniq 5 and a Chevy Trax had a baby.
If these trends continue the fifth generation will be announced and it will be the size of a Tahoe.
In 25 years this will be an antique with ancient battery technology and dead screens.
This is true of any ordinary car. Not many cars from 2001 still kicking. People keep what deserves to be preserved, but whole models from 2001 have fully disappeared.
To your point, I suspect this is in the “do not preserve” bucket.
“awesome looking”
It’s like a pointy Civic, I don’t hate it.
I do dislike the fastback hatch, give me a proper box in the back Honda!
Yet another crossover that if you removed the badges, I wouldn’t be able to tell what brand it was. It’s a sad state of affairs.
The only additional crossover/SUV Honda actually needs in the states is a hybridized HR-V.
Flush door handles: check
Tablet only controls: check
Unnecessary light bar across the back: check
Sure seems like I’m not missing out on anything.
Light bar and illuminated front logo: check
Unnecessarily pointy DRLs and tail lights: check
Came here for this. Amen
“But It’s Not Coming To America”
Good. Make it look less like a Toyota wannabe and resubmit.
Just make a 30% larger Honda e and call it a day.
Or bring it it as is and call it a day.
An updated Honda e where none of the styling is changed but they give it actual range and power would be perfect. I love that thing.
Hell, make a RWD Type R with 300ish hp.
Still looks like a hatchback to me, and on the sedan side of hatchback shape, also.
At some point: we need to take the combination of letters “SUV” and “CUV” away from companies for EVs
They’re tall due to the battery floor, not actually offering the “Utility” clearance of SUVs at all, and they would be unlikely to be much lower even if they tried.
Yeah this also doesn’t seem to be particularly tall anyway. We’re getting to the point where both EVs and some regular crossovers are basically just wagons. Which I welcome.
100%, crossovers today are just hatchbacks and have such slopped backs as to have a great deal less utility anymore.
Something I hadn’t given a lot of thought to before, but as virtually everyone puts a thick battery pack under the floor, by default there will be no low cars in the EV future, it’ll be physically impossible. We were trending in this direction anyway with all of the combustion crossovers and whatnot, but at least you could put a lowering kit on them if you really wanted to. But with the battery pack there, you could slam a car to the ground, and the floor will still be at least half a foot off the ground.
This might be annoying to you and me, but thinking of people like my grandparents who struggle a bit with getting in & out of cars, this is a real problem.
Did Honda hire the stylists from Hyundai/Kia?
And why?
It’s just kind of how you have to make cars look if you want them to sell in China. Almost every brand does this.