2010 Honda Insight, 63.4 mpg!

While it's hard to tell from the photos, the 2010 Honda Insight is smaller than the 2009 Civic Hybrid. To give you a frame of reference, the smaller hybrid rides on a wheelbase that is nearly half a foot shorter and has less overall length compared to the Civic.



The Insight's style is clearly driven by aerodynamics. The bullet-shaped nose blends smoothly into the passenger cabin and then cuts off abruptly. Any aerodynamics engineer will attest that this is the most efficient automotive aero shape known to date ... the wind doesn't show favoritism to any one brand. This reality is also evident in the shape of the new Prius and Chevrolet's upcoming Volt; the profiles of these cars are quite similar because airflow created the shape, not stylists. The smallish 15-inch wheels make the body appear bulkier than it is, but one can't argue with efficiency.



Inside, the Insight offers a generous 85 cubic feet of passenger volume with another 15.9 cubic feet of cargo room. This is slightly less passenger but more cargo volume than the larger Civic. The cabin appears bright, airy and fully modern.

The Insight's hybrid powertrain uses a 98-horsepower 1.3-liter four-cylinder with what engineers call Integrated Motor Assist. This is the electric motor (rated at 10 kilowatts, or about 13 horsepower) that occupies the space (and helps provide the functionality) of a traditional continuously variable transmission. Fuel economy, while not yet certified, is expected to be 40 mpg city, 43 mpg highway. Currently, the Civic Hybrid is rated at 40 mpg city, 45 mpg highway.



Honda's EcoAssist system helps drivers achieve maximum fuel economy by recommending driving style recommendations and then showing the driver's results real-time. (While your author hasn't experienced the system in action, he assumes that it is similar to the EcoGuide system introduced by Ford at the L.A. Auto Show in their 2010 Fusion Hybrid.)

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The 2010 Honda Insight provides a complete range of safety and convenience features, including six airbags, electronic stability control, power interior features (windows, door locks, etc.), automatic climate control, and a 160-watt audio system. Options include the Honda Satellite Linked Navigation System with voice recognition and Bluetooth HandsFreeLink system. These features were never even considered for the original Insight, but are required to make a car attractive to the mainstream automotive buyer who likes a full complement of equipment.

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Myth Busting – the Facts about Ethanol in Petrol

Ethanol is a renewable non-fossil biofuel produced in Australia, and other countries, by either taking one of the by-products of the sugarcane industry (molasses), wheat or other grains such as corn and processing it to produce ethanol.

Ethanol, when used in vehicles, can help maximize the performance and acceleration potential of many modern cars. It is a cleaner burning, renewable component that helps reduce Greenhouse gas emissions. It also helps to achieve low benzene and sulphur levels.

Shell has over 25 years of global experience successfully formulating and testing ethanol based fuel in markets including US, Sweden and Brazil, selling over 1 million tonnes of ethanol-based fuel each year.


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Myth 1. Ethanol burns hot due to an earlier ‘pre-detonation ratio’ (i.e. it explodes too soon) and can corrode engines over time.

Ethanol has a high octane (Research and Motor Octanes) and as such ethanol based fuels have a natural tendency to resist compressive precombustion in engine combustion chambers. Its incorporation into fuel, in controlled quantities, will have the effect of lifting octane and allowing exposure to greater heat and compression in engines without 'pinging' (precombustion).

The potential for corrosion due to ethanol has, in the past, been due to improper use by other retailers of lower quality ethanol at inappropriate blend ratios without corrosion protection.

Along with this standard, Shell fuel-grade ethanol contains a corrosion inhibitor additive to ensure that corrosion due to trace impurities naturally present in ethanol is minimised.



Myth 2. Ethanol fails to lubricate the engine like petrol so there is a potential for pistons and other moving parts within the combustion chamber to ‘seize up’ over time.

Lubrication of piston rings in spark ignition 4 stroke engines is a result of traces of lubricating oil trapped between rings and combustion chamber wall. It is not due to the lubricating qualities of the motor spirit, so the impact of ethanol in this part of the engine will be negligible.

Lubrication of other components such as fuel pumps of moving fuel system components is, however, dependent on the lubricating property of the fuel. In these cases ethanol contents of up to 10% have not been shown to cause excessive / noticeable wear in any other countries where Shell markets ethanol containing fuels.

Shell has extensive experience with biofuels and is the largest global retailer of ethanol containing fuels. Shell markets ethanol containing petrol in several countries and has no records of adverse lubrication issues relating to these fuels. Also, a review of the available literature / studies also does not indicate that fuel system wear due to lack of lubrication is an issue.

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Myth 3. Ethanol can corrode fuel lines or anything rubber, including seals.

Ethanol in high concentrations has been known to affect some plastic and rubber fuel system components. However, it is advisable to check the FCAI web site or contact your vehicle’s manufacturer to determine if there are any compatibility issues with particular makes and models.



Myth 4. Ethanol always reduces fuel economy.

10% ethanol petrols, or E10 fuels, are known to result in a slight reduction in fuel economy in comparison to the same base fuel without the ethanol content. It has been documented that there is an approximate loss of 3.5% economy for E10 fuels and 1.5% for E5 fuels. Economy losses of this size are difficult to detect under typical driving conditions due to the impact on economy of other factors such as tyre pressure, driving style and driving situation (city vs. freeway driving).

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Source: Shell

U.S. Can't Have The 65 mpg Ford "ECOnetic"

If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor, known widely for lumbering gas hogs.

Ford's 2009 Fiesta ECOnetic goes on sale in November. But here's the catch: Despite the car's potential to transform Ford's image and help it compete with Toyota Motor and Honda Motor in its home market, the company will sell the little fuel sipper only in Europe. "We know it's an awesome vehicle," says Ford America President Mark Fields. "But there are business reasons why we can't sell it in the U.S." The main one: The Fiesta ECOnetic runs on diesel.

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Automakers such as Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have predicted for years that a technology called "clean diesel" would overcome many Americans' antipathy to a fuel still often thought of as the smelly stuff that powers tractor trailers. Diesel vehicles now hitting the market with pollution-fighting technology are as clean or cleaner than gasoline and at least 30% more fuel-efficient.

Yet while half of all cars sold in Europe last year ran on diesel, the U.S. market remains relatively unfriendly to the fuel. Taxes aimed at commercial trucks mean diesel costs anywhere from 40 cents to $1 more per gallon than gasoline. Add to this the success of the Toyota Prius, and you can see why only 3% of cars in the U.S. use diesel. "Americans see hybrids as the darling," says Global Insight auto analyst Philip Gott, "and diesel as old-tech."

None of this is stopping European and Japanese automakers, which are betting they can jump-start the U.S. market with new diesel models. Mercedes-Benz by next year will have three cars it markets as "BlueTec." Even Nissan and Honda, which long opposed building diesel cars in Europe, plan to introduce them in the U.S. in 2010. But Ford, whose Fiesta ECOnetic compares favorably with European diesels, can't make a business case for bringing the car to the U.S.

Too Pricey to Import

First of all, the engines are built in Britain, so labor costs are high. Plus the pound remains stronger than the greenback. At prevailing exchange rates, the Fiesta ECOnetic would sell for about $25,700 in the U.S. By contrast, the Prius typically goes for about $24,000. A $1,300 tax deduction available to buyers of new diesel cars could bring the price of the Fiesta to around $24,400. But Ford doesn't believe it could charge enough to make money on an imported ECOnetic.

Ford plans to make a gas-powered version of the Fiesta in Mexico for the U.S. So why not manufacture diesel engines there, too? Building a plant would cost at least $350 million at a time when Ford has been burning through more than $1 billion a month in cash reserves. Besides, the automaker would have to produce at least 350,000 engines a year to make such a venture profitable. "We just don't think North and South America would buy that many diesel cars," says Fields.

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The question, of course, is whether the U.S. ever will embrace diesel fuel and allow automakers to achieve sufficient scale to make money on such vehicles. California certified VW and Mercedes diesel cars earlier this year, after a four-year ban. James N. Hall, of auto researcher 293 Analysts, says that bellwether state and the Northeast remain "hostile to diesel." But the risk to Ford is that the fuel takes off, and the carmaker finds itself playing catch-up—despite having a serious diesel contender in its arsenal.

Source: Yahoo Finance