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2009 Honda Insight Coming to the Detroit Auto Show

2009 Honda Insight
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First it showed up as a concept car at the 2008 Paris auto show; now, the 2009 Honda Insight is making its world debut in photo form, and its actual world debut at the Detroit auto show in January.

The 2009 Honda Insight is the five-door successor to the two-door hybrid of the same name that gave Honda its start in hybrids. The original Insight was less practical than other hybrids like the Toyota Prius, but it achieved 68 mpg, regularly leading the fuel-economy charts until it was discontinued.

The new Insight is a lot more family-friendly than the old car--and some say, a lot more like the Prius. Honda wants to up its sales to 100,000 a year, and wants to make money on it--so it's made the hybrid motor and batteries lighter, smaller and cheaper to build.

TheCarConnection's experts will be driving the 2009 Honda Insight later this week, and will report back with their driving impressions next month. We're curious to see how it stacks up to the Toyota Prius in terms of drivability, comfort, and efficiency. Stay tuned for the full report.