Honda’s hybrid Insight hit California showrooms yesterday, becoming the first gasoline-electric hybrid car to go on sale in the U.S. The two-seater, which has a base price of $19,000, gets about 60 miles to the gallon in the city and 70 on the highway. Its engine uses both unleaded gasoline and an electric motor that recharges without being plugged in, drawing its power from energy created during braking. While California is getting the first batch of Insights, the cars will be coming to other states in the next few weeks, Honda says. Toyota was the first company to sell a hybrid car: Its Prius debuted in Japan two years ago. The four-door Prius, which gets about 66 mpg, will go on sale in Europe and the U.S. next year.
