2008 Paris Auto Show: "Me, Too" Honda Insight Concept Details Revealed

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PARIS — Honda clearly has the Toyota Prius in the crosshairs with its Insight Concept, which was formally unveiled on Thursday at the 2008 Paris Auto Show. Among the more critical details: Honda's recitation of the Insight Concept's exterior dimensions, which blatantly seem to use the Prius as a template.

The automaker's production Insight "will be developed based on this Insight Concept," Honda said in a statement on Thursday. The Insight, which will undercut the price of the Toyota Prius, will go on sale in the U.S. next spring, Honda said earlier this summer. Annual global sales are pegged at 200,000 units.

The Insight Concept measures 172.2 inches in length, 66.7 inches in width and 56.1 inches in height. In comparison, the 2009 Toyota Prius measures 175.0 inches in length, 67.9 inches in width and 58.7 inches in height.

In a highly unusual move for Honda, this may be the first "me, too" car from the Japanese automaker, which had prided itself on following the road less traveled in the past. The Insight Concept is a dead ringer for the Prius in the looks department.

In its earlier statements about the Insight, Honda described the new vehicle as "roomy." The concept is a major advance from the original Honda Insight, a cramped 70-mpg two-seater subcompact that was introduced in December 1999 as America's first gas-electric hybrid car.

The new Insight will seat five passengers and is being called a compact by Honda. Honda on Thursday confirmed that the production version of the Insight will be "equipped with Honda's lightweight and compact hybrid system, with a 1.3-liter gasoline engine serving as the main power source, assisted by an electric motor." The '09 Prius uses a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with an electric motor.

The Insight Concept unveiled in Paris is equipped with ultralight aluminum wheels and 18-inch tires.

In a speech at the 2008 Paris Auto Show, Honda Motor Company President and CEO Takeo Fukui confirmed that the mass-production model of the Honda Insight will be unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.

What this means to you: A Prius clone from Honda is bound for American driveways next year. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent