His name is Mike, he’s an inventor from the East Coast and has managed to rig up Honda’s first hybrid, the Insight, to achieve a whopping 99 miles to the gallon-superior to any of those so called “Gas Sippers” as the various auto ads like to put it and certainly surpassing Gas Guzzlers though with any luck, may soon shrink in numbers as GM contemplates the discontinuation of their Hummer brand.

Source:  www.99mpg.com/projectcars/MikesInsight/  

Mike’s system, the Manual Integrated Motor Assist or MIMA, includes quite a number of “gizmos and gadgets” as demonstrated here.  Those who are not technologically inclined can still appreciate the MIMA system for two reasons: obviously for its improved fuel efficiency and for it’s sophisticatedly complicated  system essentially created by a “dude tinkering around in his garage” rather than one of Honda’s seasoned engineers.  The system is in high demand, so once you’re off the wait list, you’ll drop a cool grand for the system plus labor.  Furthermore, modifications to the Insight don’t stop with the MIMA.  As you can see, Mike’s own has all the bells and whistles, which consists of an extra wheel called an E-wheel, a controller and a V-booster battery. 

Average nationwide gas prices are lower today when compared to a year ago but the sting of 4 dollars a gallon for regular unleaded still looms – as evidenced by numerous factors, such as the change in commuter behavior and dealer shortages of the compact and fuel efficient Mini Cooper.  With that said, if you aren’t one of the lucky dogs who own an Insight, which even without Mike’s MIMA system, V-booster battery, controller and extra drop down E-wheel, still gets an impressive 60-70 MPG.   

Furthermore, amidst the completion of this article it has been brought to light by an Insight enthusiast whose website is insightman.com, that Honda has two new hybrids on the horizon (as do many other car companies do-ahem the Chevy Volt and Nissan to name a few) for 2010: one of them is the CR-Z, shorthand for “Compact Renaissance Zero”, a coupe or as Honda puts it a “sporty hybrid.”  The other is, surprise, surprise a revamped 5-door, 5-seater Insight.  Two observations:  the new Insight has a strong resemblance to the Toyota Prius and second, doesn’t it seem plausible that the CR-Z is actually the descendant of the originally discontinued Insight?  Honda has preemptively explained that the new Insight’s similar physical attributes to the Prius is all about aerodynamics.  Just a coincidence?  Pump N’Go surmises it’s all business strategy: admist a gas price crises where consumers have become highly concerned citizens, bring back a once popular and yet discontinued vehicle and re-release it as a direct competitor to Toyota’s successful hybrid.  With that said, Honda did their competitor one better with a $19,000 MSRP, thousands less than it’s hybrid counterpart.    

The New Honda Insight

The New Honda Insight

 
 
The New Honda CR-Z

The New Honda CR-Z

 

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