2010 Honda Insight

What We Know About the 2010 Honda Insight

Exclusive Summary About Honda Insight by Chris Poole and Toby Russell

The 2010 Honda Insight is due to start production early in calendar 2009 and should reach U.S. dealers by spring with a hoped-for starting price of less than $20,000. The new Insight will be built alongside the Civic at Honda’s Suzuka plant in Japan, but on a specific (“dedicated”) platform shared with no other current Honda vehicle.

Company officials say the 2010 Honda Insight will be a 5-passenger 4-door hatchback looking somewhat like the wedge-shaped FCX Clarity, the hydrogen-fuel-cell midsize sedan that’s now being leased to a handful of select Southern California consumers. The front-wheel-drive Insight will be smaller than Clarity, likely falling in the compact-car class.

The 2010 Honda Insight will use a lighter, simpler new version of the Civic Hybrid’s basic Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) drive system. Company talk of “significant” weight and cost reductions suggests the Hybrid’s IMA will have either a 3-cylinder engine or a small 4-cylinder with displacement of 1.0-1.3 liters. Ditto the expected continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

The batteries, which reportedly tuck beneath the cargo floor, will be conventional nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH), not the more-advanced lithium-ion (LI) type. Honda believes LI batteries are not yet ready for mass-market cars because of their cost and concerns about overheating.

The 2010 Honda Insight will also feature a new driver-focused fuel economy enhancement system called the Ecological Drive Assist System, or Eco Assist.

Why Choose a Honda Hybrid?

There are several companies that produce hybrid cars--Ford, Toyota, and Honda, among others. In this article, we will go over Honda's hybrid cars. Obviously Honda is a highly respected, well known “big player” motor manufacturer however, they have only been producing hybrid cars since 1999 when they manufactured the first Honda Insight hybrid.

Over the past few years, Honda's share of the American market has greatly increased. Presently, it sits at 13.2% with some of this increase probably being partially attributed to Honda’s production of hybrids and also its reputation for producing quality cars across a broad spectrum of price ranges.

Mercedes Benz Hybrid Model

Mercedes-Benz Confirms a Hybrid Model in 2009

By Dwayne Thomas

DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes-Benz luxury car brand has finally come up with a decision that involves their entry into the hybrid powertrain class. The Stuttgart-based automaker will develop a hybrid model for their several vehicle classes ranging from the subcompact A-Class models up to the S-Class luxury sedans.

Last week, Thomas Weber, the head of development for Mercedes Car Group has told the automotive press at the 77th annual Geneva International Motor Show about the Mercedes-Benz Hybrid. He said: "In 2009, we will have the first Mercedes-branded hybrid on the market."

Meanwhile, here is what Dieter Zetsche, Chief Executive Officer of DaimlerChrysler AG said in a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, one of Germany's premiere automotive publications: "We will not develop new vehicles without including a hybrid model option. We will offer out customers the right product."

Zetsche also said that the environment is very important for the company, and developing a Mercedes-Benz hybrid model will allow them to significantly contribute to the environment.

DaimlerChrysler's plan to focus on cars with diesel engines instead of focusing in hybrid powertrain technology was earlier dismissed due to some customer demands, according to the German automaker.

Zetsche also commented on the announcement made by Mercedes-Benz and BMW last week regarding the collaboration on the development of hybrid system. He said: "We will combine our knowledge and skills with BMW Group in order to accelerate the development of the hybrid project. With the mild hybrid, we can obtain 70 percent of the effect of a full hybrid with only 30 percent of the effort."

Zetsche further explains that the new models that will be offered some time in 2009 are equipped with mild hybrid powertrain systems, which include a diesel of petrol engine combined with an electric motor, unlike full hybrid models developed by other automakers that can run solely on electric power in a limited range. A mild hybrid powertrain system provides an increased acceleration and performance along with low fuel consumption and lower exhaust emissions.

Unfortunately, Mr. Zetsche said he will not give more details about the Mercedes-Benz's hybrid plans in the future. In fact, he did not include the exact schedule for the launch of their first ever mild hybrid model.

Along with the mild hybrid power train system, Zetsch also said that they will introduce other innovative car technologies in the future including the start/stop system and new alternator that can be disconnected from the engine during acceleration. These new technologies are being developed at the company’s headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.

Hybrid Car Tax Credit

Exclusive Summary About Hybrid Car Tax Credit by Angela Stringfellow and Lance Winslow

You may be eligible for a hybrid vehicle tax credit if you bought a hybrid vehicle in 2008. The Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit (the name given to the tax credit for hybrid vehicles), is applicable to vehicles bought or put on the road after January 1, 2006.

Most hybrid make and models do qualify for this credit- over 40 models. However, to confirm that your vehicle qualifies, check Form 8910.

After 60,000 hybrid vehicles are sold by a particular manufacturer, the tax credit is reduced and slowly eliminated.

Buy A Hybrid Car and Get a Big Tax Break

Over 200,000 hybrid cars were sold the United States last year.

With supply is cut short due to destructive hurricanes be oil commodity will trade at a higher price. The answer is for many folks to buy a hybrid car and the Bush Administration has set forth a great plan to extend the hybrid automobile tax credits and add to that clean diesel fuel cars which are sold.

The reason that clean diesel vehicles also receive the tax credit is because the technology is such that many of these vehicles run on 30 percent less fuel than gasoline vehicles.

Selecting Tires For Your Hybrid Car

Tires For Your Hybrid Car

Exclusive Summary About Hybrid Car Tires by Della Franklin and James S Todman

First time hybrid car users may still be quite a bit unfamiliar with the new and innovative hybrid car tire designs. When you are planning on replacing your hybrid car tires, remember to pick the low-rolling resistance tire models.

Experts know that the low-rolling resistance tires are as groundbreaking as the hybrid car design itself. This means that consumers have to look for new low-rolling resistance tire designs that are available at tire store centers.

The name low-rolling resistance tires is derived from the measurement taken as the tire rolls on the surface of the road. The longer the tire rolls at a given rate, the lower the resistance it encounters hence the name low-rolling resistance tire.

Car tires make use of energy in the form of heat. This is evident in three various contact points on the car tires.

Five Tips to Keep Your Car Tyres in Good Condition

1. Correct Tyre Pressure

Regularly check your car tyres are not under or over inflated.

Whenever your car tyres are repaired or replaced make sure they are correctly balanced when remounted on your car. If not this will cause vibrations, increasing tyre wear, damaging suspension and leading to driver fatigue.

2. Balance and Alignment

Correct alignment is necessary to have the steering, suspension, wheel components and car tyres all working in harmony to achieve the optimum performance from your vehicle.

3. Inspection

Most tyres have a tread wear indicator built into them. Remove any stones and other objects stuck in a car tyre's tread.

4. Repairs

Don't risk driving on a car tyre that is losing pressure. Never try repairing a car tyre yourself.

5. Tyre Rotation

By regularly rotating the tyres their lifespan is extended and uneven car tyre wear is avoided.

Visit a car tyre specialist for further advice and to check the condition of your current car tyres.