Top 2 Cars That Were Way Ahead Of Their Time - 2000 Honda Insight - AMC Eagle

 2000-2005 Honda Insight

The Honda Insight was the first model designed from the ground up as a hybrid electric vehicle (the current Prius uses a modified Corolla chassis), even though the first Toyota Prius was released before it. The insight was focused solely on improving fuel economy by employing cutting-edge engineering. 

Using an aluminum space frame from the previous NSX sports car, Honda made the chassis as small and light as possible. The under-2,000-pound body of this compact three-door coupe was supported by this frame. A one-liter, three-cylinder engine and a ten-kilowatt electric motor at the flywheel provided power. 

The first Insight achieved an EPA rating of 53 miles per gallon thanks to its light weight, aerodynamic shape, and electrified power. At first, the only gearbox available on the Insight was a five-speed manual transmission. In 2001, however, a CVT was made available. The vehicle could achieve even higher speeds on the highway with light-footed driving (NYT). 

The design did, however, have a lot of flaws. According to Motor Trend, the current Prius, which debuted in the United States around the same time, offered a four-door sedan design that was more practical. In addition, its styling was less "out there" than the Honda's futuristic shape, and it came with an automatic transmission from the beginning. The Prius rapidly surpassed the Knowledge

AMC Eagle

Five-door crossover SUVs are commonplace in today's market. Some may even say that it's too common. However, the AMC Eagle's lifted station wagon design was completely novel in 1980. The goal was to create a large family car that could handle snowbanks, dirt roads, and highways all with ease.

Jeeps and pickup trucks were the only vehicles with four-wheel drive systems for the majority of the 20th century. Four-wheel drive, on the other hand, became a desirable feature for daily drivers once vehicles like the Eagle became available. It offered coupe, sedan, and station wagon body styles and was initially based on an AMC Concorde chassis (via Motor Trend). Although the coupe's "monster truck meets sporty" styling also makes it an iconic model in its own right, the wagon is probably the most well-known variant. 

Similar to what was used in AMC's own Jeep brand, the Eagle had a transfer case that could be switched between four-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive. One of two available engines was mated to this drivetrain. The 2-5-liter "Iron Duke" four-cylinder from General Motors came first. The second was a 4 liter inline-six that was common to numerous Jeep models. 

The Eagle made a good prediction about how commuter cars would look in the 21st century, but it didn't save AMC from going bankrupt. Chrysler, a rival automaker, purchased the company in 1987, primarily for the Jeep brand. The Eagle was produced by Chrysler for precisely one more year before being discontinued after 1988.

GM EV1

The EV1 was the first attempt, albeit unsuccessfully, by a major automaker to market a fully electric vehicle as a lifestyle product. The car was called "the start of something big" in 1997 by Car and Driver. 

They were correct, but it would be more than a decade before electric vehicles really took off. GM packed a 137-horsepower motor into a lightweight coupe body, like the Honda Insight. This motor drove the front wheels directly and used a lead-acid battery pack that is now obsolete. It could only be charged with a proprietary induction plate and power pack that were attached to the car's nose