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The Honda Insight is a 2-seater hatchback hybrid automobile manufactured by Honda. It was the first mass-produced hybrid automobile sold in the United States, introduced in 1999 (in Japan, however, the first generation of the Toyota Prius was launched in 1997). According to the EPA, the 5-speed manual transmission variant of the Insight is the most fuel-efficient mass-produced automobile sold in the United States; the CVT variant and the 2004 model of the Toyota Prius share the second place. It is also one of the cleanest: the CARB rated the 5-speed variant ULEV and the CVT variant SULEVSuper Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) is a conventionally powered or gas-electric hybrid vehicle designed to produce minimal air pollution, typically less than 10% of that of an equivalent ordinary vehicle. Controlled pollution categories are: Hydrocar.

The Insight has a 3-cylinder engineAn internal combustion engine is an engine that is powered by the expansion of hot combustion products of fuel directly acting within an engine. A piston internal combustion engine works by burning hydrocarbon or hydrogen fuel that presses on a piston; an and a brushlessA brushless DC motor is an electric motor that operates like a DC motor, but with the roles of the rotor and stator reversed. The rotor consists of a set of permanent magnets and the stator consists of electromagnets. The motor has no brushes and no commu electric motorAn electric motor converts electricity into mechanical motion. The reverse task, that of converting mechanical motion into electricity, is accomplished by a generator. The two devices are identical except for their application and minor construction detai located on the crankshaft. Behind the driver's and the passenger's seats there is a set of 144V NiMH batteries. During acceleration and a drive uphill, the electric motor provides additional power; during deceleration and a drive downhill, the motor acts as a generator and recharges the batteries in the process called regenerative braking. A computer control module regulates, how much power comes from the internal combustion engine, and how much from the electric motor; in the CVT variant, it also finds the optimal gear ratio. The Insight has the first generation of the Honda hybrid technology; the next generation, used in the Honda Civic Hybrid, is much more space-efficient. The current charge of the batteries is shown on the dashboard, as is the current state of the electric motor: whether it is assisting the engine or charging the batteries as a generator.

Unlike the Toyota Prius, which has a planetary gearset , the original Insight had a conventional manual transmission. Starting with the 2001 model, a CVT variant of the Insight has been available; the CVT is similar to that used in the Honda Civic and the Honda Logo . Also, unlike the Toyota Prius, the Insight cannot run on the electric motor alone. A feature shared by the two hybrids is stopping the engine when it is idle (for example, when the car stops at a traffic light). Since it is more powerful than most starters of conventional cars, the Insight's electric motor can start the engine nearly instantaneously.

The Insight is assembled at the Honda factory in Takanezawa , Japan, where the Acura NSX and the Honda S2000 are also assembled. The three cars all share an all-aluminum body.

At the 2003 Tokyo Auto Show , Honda introduced the concept car Honda IMAS , an extremely fuel-efficient and lightweight hybrid car made of aluminum and carbon fiber, which was perceived by most observers to be the future direction where the Insight is heading.