Honda's Cumulative Worldwide Hybrid Sales Surpass 800,000 Units Since 1999

While not as near as successful as its native rival Toyota when it comes to hybrid models, Honda remains a major player in the category having recently topped the 800,000 sales mark.

As we learned today, the milestone came at the end of December 2011 and was achieved 12 years and 2 months after Honda launched the first generation of its Insight hybrids in Japan in November 1999. For the record, last April Toyota sold its 1 millionth Prius in the States.

The first Insight delivered a fuel economy of 35km/liter (equal to 82.3mpg US or 2.9lt/100km) on the Japanese driving cycle, lending it the title of the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered model of its time - according to Honda.

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NATS Turns First-Gen Honda Insight into the EV-Sports Prototype01

The students over at Nihon Automobile College [NATS] in Japan have churned out some pretty bizarre creations over the years ranging from a Honda Beat dressed in an NSX suite to a high-ridding Volkswagen pickup truck.

At this year's Tokyo Motor Show, NATS displayed the EV-Sports Prototype01 that is based on the first generation of the Honda Insight hybrid.

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Honda Introduces 2012 Insight Hybrid with Slightly Improved Fuel Economy in the States

At the recent 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, Honda unveiled the subtly revised for the 2012MY Insight Hybrid, and now it's time for its introduction in the States.

Available to order now, the 2012 Insight debuts some minor cosmetic changes inside and out, additional equipment features on certain models, and a 1mpg fuel economy improvement across the range.

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Honda Refreshes Insight Hybrid for 2012, CO2 Emissions Drops Below 100g/km

The upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show will see Honda revealing the 2012MY Insight hybrid alongside the European market 2012 Civic 5d hatchback. But for now, we get the first official photograph and initial information on the Japanese carmaker's Prius rival. Read more »

Honda to Invest $800 Million in New Mexico Plant

Honda announced today that it will invest $800 million to build a new assembly plant in Mexico. The factory, which is expected to be operational in 2014, will employ around 3,200 workers producing up to 200,000 vehicles per year. Read more »

2011 Honda Insight with Subtle Revisions and Special Price Offer goes on Sale in the UK

The modestly improved for the 2011 model year Honda Insight hybrid with chassis and trim level changes has arrived at Honda's UK showrooms. Normal pricing starts at £16,325 for the SE model, however, the Japanese automaker is running a special deal until the end of December offering the hybrid model at £14,995 OTR.

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Hybrid Sales Dropping in the USA, Reasons Unclear

Irrelevant numbers aside, hybrid registrations in the States are falling. Some of the 17% drop between 2007 and 2009 has naturally been blamed on the recession, but the Wall Street Journal proposes a few other factors that may have affected interest in the smug-mobiles (specifically in the San Francisco/San Jose/Oakland area).

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2011 Honda Insight Hybrid Refined with Suspension Changes and Trim Enhancements

The new Insight hybrid has only been around with us for a little over a year, yet Honda's UK division has just announced that the five-door hatch received a series of improvements that include suspension changes to enhance ride and comfort, and upgrades to the interior trim levels.

In a press statement, the Japanese automaker said changes made to the Insight "are in direct response to the comments received from early customers and the media", adding that the initial focus was on the car's suspension to address "negative feedback on ride and comfort levels."

In order to improve ride, handling and stability, Honda's engineers went ahead and performed a series of upgrades to the Insight's suspension including, adjusting the recoil rate of the springs, altering the rear camber angles, changing the V-shape rear suspension brace and adjusting mounts.

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Top 10 Greenest and Dirtiest Cars of 2010

The headline grabber: Italy's Lamborghini Murcielago has been named and shamed as the most polluting car of the nation by the UK's Environmental Transport Association (ETA), being five times as worse than the greenest automobile of 2010, Japan's 99g/km Toyota iQ.

"With emissions five times worse than the greenest car, the Lamborghini is the bull in an environmental china shop," said Andrew Davis, director of the ETA. "Thankfully, there are very few on the roads and there is an increasing choice of environmentally-sound cars."

The group said it examined over 5,000 cars sold in the UK ranking them for their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and the amount of noise they produce. ETA also said that a poll of 1,500 British drivers found that Scots were most inclined (42%) to buy a smaller car in order to reduce their motoring costs, while drivers living in the north of England were the least inclined (34%).

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