Honda Insight returns as a Dongfeng-based EV

The Honda Insight has returned, although for now it is only available in its home market.

The Insight was the nameplate Honda gave its first mass-produced hybrid when it launched in 1999. Now the name has returned, this time attached to a fully electric crossover-style hatchback.

Currently a Japan-only model, the new Insight is essentially a rebadged version of the Chinese-market e:NS2. Both models are built in partnership with a new entrant to the New Zealand market, Dongfeng. 

The eNS2 first debuted in 2024 and is the product of a joint 50:50 partnership between Honda and Dongfeng that has a production capacity of 120,000 units a year, all of which are built in China.

The new Honda Insight EV is a less groundbreaking product than the original hybrid from the late 1990s, but Honda says it revived the nameplate because the car provides “insight” into the needs and trends of today’s buyers.

Final dimensions and technical specifications for the new Insight have not been released, but it seems to be a lower and sleeker than the Honda e:N1 on sale locally and a similar length to the Dongfeng Vigo that just launched in New Zealand last month.

Honda do say the new Insight will be powered by a single front-mounted electric motor and claim it will have “exciting, nimble handling”. Honda also add it will have a driving range of more than 500km and the electric motor will produce 310Nm of torque. There’s even a dedicated ‘Sport Mode’ for quicker acceleration and sporty “sound effects”.

Those figures closely match the e:NS2 on which the Insight is based. The Chinese model uses a front-mounted motor producing 150kW and has a 68.8kWh battery, delivering up to 545km of range under China’s optimistic CLTC testing cycle.

Inside, Honda says the cabin was designed to prioritise comfort, with a higher seating position, recline-flat front seats and a technology-focused interior centred around a large touchscreen display. It even has an in-built diffuser that offers six different fragrances. 

Because the Insight will only be built in right-hand drive for the Japanese market, it is possible the EV could eventually be offered in New Zealand. If it did arrive, it would likely sit below the Honda e:N1, which is currently the only fully electric Honda sold locally.