Honda has provided more information on its plans to offer an IMA-equipped hybrid Civic in North America & Europe by 2002

Honda has reconfirmed its plans to make a IMA hybrid version of the Civic available in Japan in 2001, and in North America and Europe by 2002.

As a five-seater steel bodied car without the extra aerodynamic engineering, a hybrid Civic will presumably not achieve the efficiency or CO₂ emissions levels of the Insight, but would still be somewhat better than a conventional powered Civic.

Interestingly, this will give Honda a car that is much more similar to the Prius, and which will therefore compete even more directly with the Prius. The Prius is also a five-seater steel bodied car, giving it wider market appeal, but slightly lower efficiency and CO₂ emissions.

Honda has also said that it expects the Insight to be profitable for them in "a few years".