[tiger]

:arrow: (Speaking-Of-The-2006-'Insight")

I just talked with a Mgr. at a Honda dealership and he told me that he understands that there is going to be a "2006-Insight" and the 2006 Insight is going to have several upgrades to it.

More Power for one thing along with other changes.

Anyone out there heard of any of this????? :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

I wonder if this could go along with the IMA changes and ICE changes to the 2006 HCH. :idea: (Comments-Thoughts) :?: :?:
Regards;
Terry

BTW I understand this will be out this fall/late Nov.

 

[Guillermo]

The people at new car dealerships learn about their new products after it's already published in newspapers and magazines. It's very common for them to first hear about their new products from their own customers :roll:

 

[kurt]

really ?

people at car dealers learn about their products? (through any means?) javascript:emoticon(':shock:')
Shocked

this is the first time i have ever heard of such a thingjavascript:emoticon(':roll:')
Rolling Eyes

 

[bfivelover]

The head salesperson at the Honda dealership I go to knows very little about the Insight. I had to educate him. Dealers and managers don't seem to know anything. Ask him where he got his "understanding" from about the 2006 model. I can't believe they would upgrade a car that they are building fewer and fewer of every year, and every year there is talk of this is the last year for the Insight. Plus they lose money on every Insight sold. An upgrade would cost money which would mean they would lose even more money :roll: I can't see it.

 

[Romir]

I think the added expense could be justified in making this an even better halo car for the IMA system as a whole. Toyota's Prius, and synergy drive have captured the press and public's attention. They desperately need to show that the IMA is more than competative and not some half-baked system compared to Toyota's.

But still, it does seem to make more sense for them to just keep offering the same ol' Insight and continue letting the sales dwindle while they refine the new version. Handing the top mileage crown to Toyota's Prius still seems too much for Honda to do, considering the rivalry between these companies. Toyota is concentrating on performance with their hybrids now, so an unchanged Insight should easily stay at the top of the mileage heap. No other company is as dedicated to fuel efficiency as Honda, or as willing to bleed red ink to show it in a limited form.

Does anyone care to speculate on the fresh news of the demise of the NSX and the moving of the NSX/Insight production last year? Without the NSX being made and the Insight sales halving every year, what will that special machinary and the specialized workers do? With the NSX out of the way, Honda could have more production for a new Insight design. Could the time be ripe for the IMAS and then HSC following in a year or two? Maybe the Insight was removed from the UK website because of an upcoming new version.

In the last two years at least, the dealers were the first to know about the upcoming next-year hybrids by the color books. The new Civic and the re-designed Accord have seemed to obscured this fall's models. This information should be known to the dealers by the end of August. The new Civic is to be unvieled by then to generate hype and pre-orders.

I do wonder about this quote from a recent article:

Honda previously said it will introduce no new hybrid cars this year but will work to improve the new versions of the models it already sells—the Accord Hybrid, Civic Hybrid, and the Insight—with better fuel efficiency and quicker acceleration.

 

[jbrasure]

I spoke to a Honda dealer today, and he confirmed that there will be a 2006 Insight coming out in October. He says there will be very few changes if any.

 

[gonnamissit]

Does anyone care to speculate on the fresh news of the demise of the NSX and the moving of the NSX/Insight production last year? Without the NSX being made and the Insight sales halving every year, what will that special machinary and the specialized workers do? With the NSX out of the way, Honda could have more production for a new Insight design.

They moved the Insight, NSX and S2000 to the 'low volume' assembly line to setup things in such a way that they have an assembly line completely dedicated to research.

Interestingly, the new line is the same one that was making the Prelude, dicontinued around the time of the move. Now the NSX will be discontinued.... makes you think that is the line where models go out to die... The s2000 is 6 yrs old, and so is the Insight ...

 

[Romir]

They moved the Insight, NSX and S2000 to the 'low volume' assembly line to setup things in such a way that they have an assembly line completely dedicated to research.

Interestingly, the new line is the same one that was making the Prelude, dicontinued around the time of the move. Now the NSX will be discontinued.... makes you think that is the line where models go out to die... The s2000 is 6 yrs old, and so is the Insight ...

Good to know, do you happen to know what has become of the small Toguchi factory and test track? The plant's credo was "Cars That Make Our Dreams Come True".

Here are some excerpts about it and the all aluminum body NSX from Good Mileage: The High-Performance Business Philosophy of Soichiro Honda.

What makes this factory even more unique is that the Honda NSX is the first mass-produced car in the world built with an all-aluminum (monocock) body. That is, an auto body where the outer shell and structural framework are all of one piece. Aluminum is light and rustproof, quite unlike a steel auto body, so that a car's energy efficiency and balance is increased.

The final scene we witnessed at the auto-body finishing shop was, in some respects, the most impressive: Here, all the body-sanding and filing was done by hand. Although this is the kind of labor that could easily be entrusted to machines, here the human touch prevails. The sanders state intently at every inch of the automobile, and file the chassis with affection and care. When the initial filing is finished, the body is rinsed with water, and any small dents or otherwise out-of-shape parts are fixed. Just before the cars are about to be painted, it's as if a dialogue between human beings and their handiwork is taking place. Employees even put their signatures on the auto body when their work is finished. Though erased when the cars are painted in the final stage of production, the signatures nonetheless seem to express the sentiment, "I made this car with pride!" No wonder the NSX has the feel of having been "made by hands."

One last excerpt, involving Mr. Honda, and as pertinent to the Insight as it was to the NSX:

Shortly after the NSX factory was completed, Mr. Honda paid it a visit. As he listened to the managers' accounts and hopes for the factory, he examined each work area with pleasure. Sighing in appreciation at the innovative and well-thought-out factory layout, he seemed brimming with satisfaction and pride. Suddenly, however, he bristled angrily when one of the factory managers called out to him, "Mr. Honda, we are dedicated to running this factory in the spirit of fine craftsmanship." Honda exploded, replying: "I never intended that the employees of this factory would be, in any sense, superior to those at the other factories. It is precisely because the other Honda factories are producing the broad market models that you all have the leisure to concentrate on the NSX. Please, don't make petty claims to grandeur!"

Anyway, I'd prefer to think of the line as one where retiring cars spent their final years while their replacements come of age. Isn't the S2000 somewhat of a replacement to the Prelude, along with the RSX? The S2000 will of course a successor down the line, the S500's legacy will continue on. As for the NSX, Honda's president has just recently said a NSX replacement will be out in 3-4 years with a F1-inspired V10 engine. It'll be impressive to have an impressive halo supercar in the Honda family line-up once again.

Autoweek now has an article up saying the CRX will return in 2007. Between the CRX and the Jazz/Fit next spring, we could see some impressive mileage from a relatively light car with a lean burn engine (in the 50s once again). Hopefully, with availability and popularity greater the the Civic HX (lean burn engine trim, but even rarer than Insights). I'll be dreaming of the new Civics IMA powerplant in a lighter and hatchbacked CRX...

EDIT: Typo in quote