Honda Searches For Original Insight

Honda has begun a campaign to find the driver who has clocked up the most miles in its pioneering petrol electric IMA vehicles. And the company is prepared to offer a free replacement Civic IMA to the owner of the best presented original model with a recorded mileage of 100,000 or more.

"We want to highlight how much money IMA drivers will have saved in fuel bills and tax – as well as demonstrating how much CO2 has been prevented from entering the atmosphere," said Faye Burton, Environmental Manager for Honda UK.

Since its introduction in 1999 the Insight has consistently been the most fuel efficient mass produced car in the world. Five years on from its launch, it still comfortably beats all competition, returning a staggering 83.1mpg on the EU combined cycle test – with a yet-to-be-surpassed carbon dioxide (CO2) emission figure of just 80g/km.

Over a three year period a company car Insight driver clocking the standard 20,000 miles per annum would have saved nearly £3,400 in fuel and benefit-in-kind tax and over 8 tonnes of CO2, over a standard 1.6 petrol hatch.

The Civic IMA, introduced to the UK in 2003, represents another ‘world first’ – the application of a petrol electric system to an otherwise mainstream car, combining the advanced practicality of Civic with the cost and environmental advantages of Integrated Motor Assist (IMA).

With both the Insight IMA and the Civic IMA currently on sale, Honda has the distinction of being the only manufacturer to offer a choice of petrol electric vehicles in Britain. Both cars benefit from a 100% discount of the Congestion Charge, saving a potential £1,355 per annum for a driver using the vehicle within the zone each day. As a result of this, Honda IMAs are proving popular amongst the more discerning commuters in the capital.

Honda R&D has big plans for the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system used in the Insight and is eager to get feedback on the platform on which the technology was pioneered. In 1988 Honda introduced VTEC on a single model – over 70% of current Hondas now feature this advanced technology.