Honda unveiled an “affordable” hybrid family car at the Paris Motor Show on Thursday to challenge the success of rival Toyota Motor (TM). Honda described the white car which it showed off for the first time in Paris as a concept version of the production model that will be unveiled in January.

Honda Motor (HMC) CEO Takeo Fukui says the gasoline-electric Insight will hit the world market early next year. The plan is to sell 200,000 annually worldwide, half of them in North America. Insight’s expected to start about $20,000. The Toyota Prius starts at about $23,000.

Honda hasn’t announced fuel economy numbers yet. The Prius is rated by the U.S. government at 48 miles per gallon in town, 45 mpg on the highway and 46 mpg in combined driving.

Honda designed the Insight strictly as a hybrid hatchback. There is no gasoline-only version. It will be manufactured at Honda’s Suzuka, Japan, factory.

The small, five-passenger hatchback is named after Honda’s original Insight hybrid — a radical two-seater that went on sale in the U.S. in December 1999, the first time a major automaker sold a gasoline-electric hybrid in America. Toyota followed about six months later with the Prius. That two-seat Insight has been discontinued.

Honda won’t stop its hybrid rollout with Insight. Next up is a hybrid based on the CR-Z sports car first shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, though not timetable has been announced. A hybrid version of the Fit small car is in the wings and the Civic hybrid will be updated in 2009.

Honda won’t stop its hybrid rollout with Insight. Next up is a hybrid based on the CR-Z sports car first shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. It’s meant for the U.S. market “in a few years” is all Honda will say. A hybrid version of the Fit small car is in the wings, but that’s for overseas markets only; no plans for a U.S. version. The Civic hybrid on sale in the U.S. now was mildly updated along with the entire ‘09 Civic line, on sale since late August. Honda says there are no changes to the Civic hybrid drivetrain.

Honda’s hybrid system is quite different from the one used by Toyota and Ford Motor. Honda’s so-called Integrated Motor Assist relies on a small, fuel-efficient gasoline engine all the time, adding the power of a built-in electric motor when the gasoline engine needs more power, such as when passing or driving in the mountains.

The Toyota and Ford systems rely first on their electric motors, then start and begin adding power from their gasoline engines as the electric runs out of steam. That usually happens by 10 mph, but driven carefully, the Toyota/Ford style hybrids can run up to 30 mph or more solely on battery power.

PARIS — While it may be a bit early to plunk down a deposit, expect to see Smart brings its new fortwo ED to the United States, possibly as soon as late 2009. With a hybrid-electric Mercedes also up his sleeve, Daimler’s chief confirmed to PM that the electrified Smart car was headed across the pond—and that it’s just a matter of time.

The ED, short for electric drive, is Smart’s new battery car, which can deliver up to 150 miles on an overnight charge of its lithium-ion battery pack. It joins an expanding line-up of high-mileage powertrains offered by the Mercedes-Benz sibling division, an assortment that also includes diesel and the new Micro Hybrid Drive, or MHD system—all of which PM recently test drove here across the pond after the fortwo’s decidedly slow start.

“Electrifying cars is one option for safer, sustainable mobility,” declared Thomas Weber, technology chief for parent company Daimler AG.

A small number of fortwo EDs are already being field tested in London, and the program is rapidly being expanded to other cities, including Berlin, where a network of charging stations has been set up to support what has been dubbed eMobility Berlin.

Smart expects to have 100 of the battery cars in place in Berlin in the near future, and will continue growing the eMobility project to other urban areas over the coming months. According to Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche, the goal is to have 1000 of the EDs in operation around the world by the end of 2009.

Smart’s battery car “will be in the States, though the final decision [as to the timeframe] hasn’t been made,” Zetsche said in an interview with PM. “I consider it likely we will see some of that 100 in the U.S.” But if not, Zetsche added, expect to see an American version by 2012, when Smart expects to push production up to somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000.

The extended-range electric vehicle that is redefining the automotive world is no longer just a rumor. In fact, its propulsion system is so revolutionary, it’s unlike any other vehicle or electric car that’s ever been introduced. And we’re making this remarkable vision a reality, so that one day you’ll have the freedom to drive gas-free.

Chevy Volt is designed to move more than 75 percent of America’s daily commuters without a single drop of gas.(1) That means for someone who drives less than 40 miles a day, Chevy Volt will use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions.(2)

Unlike traditional electric cars, Chevy Volt has a revolutionary propulsion system that takes you beyond the power of the battery. It will use a lithium-ion battery with a variety of range-extending onboard power sources, including gas and, in some vehicles, E85 ethanol(3) to recharge the battery while you drive beyond the 40-mile battery range. And when it comes to being plugged in, Chevy Volt will be designed to use a common household plug.

Chevy Volt. Fully Charged 2010.

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