Honda Motor Company plans to introduce a version of the Insight, its gasoline/electric hybrid car, equipped with automatic transmission in mid-2001, making it the most fuel-efficient automatic car in the U.S. Honda will release the vehicle in the U.S. midway through next year, the company said at the Electric Vehicle Symposium in Montreal. The vehicle will be offered with continuously variable transmission (CVT), which allows for an infinite number of gear ratios that optimize engine performance and efficiency, according to company officials. The new version of the Insight will be Honda's third Super Low-Emission Vehicle, which means it runs as clean as some natural gas-powered vehicles. As governments tighten up emissions requirements, automakers including Honda are developing vehicles with greater fuel economy and lower pollution. "The Insight is appealing to a wide variety of buyers," said Tom Elliott, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "We believe the addition of a CVT will serve to broaden its customer appeal even further." The mileage for the new Insight hasn't been officially determined because American methods differ from those used in Japan, but are expected to average around 50 mpg in city and highway driving, with a range of more than 500 miles. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the current ultra-low emission Insight with a five-speed manual transmission gets 61 miles to the gallon in city conditions and 70 mpg on the highway -- the highest mileage of any car sold in the U.S., beating its nearest competitor by more than 16 mpg. At the heart of the Insight's technology is Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid power system, which combines a 1.0-liter, 3-cylinder gasoline engine with a 10-kilowatt electric motor/generator and a nickel-metal hydride battery pack for imporved efficiency. Electricity is generated by regenerative braking during normal operation, meaning the Insight never requires an outside source of electric power. Providing for about a third of the Insight's efficiency advantage is its aerodynamic design and extensive use of lightweight materials including alumnium, plastic and magnesium. At 1,847 pounds (with manual transmission), the Insight's aluminum body structure is 40 percent lighter than a comparably-sized steel-bodied vehicle.