Yeah, it is amazing how cheap Honda is offering the Insight. I've been working on a Hybrid related project and done some research. One of the most interesting

Yeah, it is amazing how cheap Honda is offering the Insight. I've been working on a Hybrid related project and done some research. One of the most interesting was an informal interview with the guy who headed the development the FSI technology at Audi done by a colleague of mine. This guy and his team introduced the technology to Audi's Le Mans racing efforts and then within 3 years brought the technology to regular cars. When we asked him to estimate the costs of a full hybrid powertrain including everything (R&D, Marketing, Party, Assembly etc.) he threw out a number around 20'000 € (which is around US-$26'000) which means that Hybrid cars currently must be highly subsidized by the producers of such cars as the Prius and especially the Insight.