Honda Insight returns as rakish electric hatchback

The Honda Insight has returned as an electric hatchback with 310 miles of range.

It is effectively a renamed version of the Chinese-market eNS2, built by Dongfeng. 

Although the new Insight is a considerably less radical prospect than the original hybrid coupé that was first launched in 1999, Honda said it reprised the name because the new car provides insight into the needs and trends of today’s market. 

It will initially be offered in Japan and plans for a wider launch have yet to be confirmed.

Techncial specifications for the Japanese market have yet to be announced, but Honda said its single front-mounted motor puts out 229lb ft and claims it will have “exciting, nimble” handling".

That torque output aligns with that quoted for the eNS2, suggesting the Insight also puts out 201bhp.

Inside, it follows the existing Honda e:Ny1 in almost completely eschewing physical buttons, with the climate controls – apart from the window demisters – moved to its centrally mounted 12.8in touchscreen.

Honda said the new Insight’s interior was designed to prioritise comfort, with a high driving position and reclining rear seats. It also has a built-in aroma diffuser, offering six different scents.

Given Honda has already invested in converting the Insight to right-hand drive for Japan, it is possible that it could be offered in the UK to bolster the brand's line-up of electric cars. That could prove crucial as, this year, 33% of every car firm's sales in the UK must be electric, under the government's ZEV mandate. That figure will ramp up in the coming years, hitting 80% by 2030, although there is flexibility in the mandate to assist companies making swingeing cuts to their fleets' CO2 outputs through more efficient combustion-engined cars. Honda benefits from this flexibility, as every car it currently sells in the UK has a hybrid powertrain.

Should Honda give the Insight the green light for a UK launch, it would not be the first Chinese-market car it offers here: that was the e:Ny1.