Integrated Motor Assist

Honda Insight IMA, 1999.
Honda Insight IMA, 2009.

Integrated Motor Assist (commonly abbreviated as IMA) is Honda's hybrid car technology, introduced in 1999 on the Insight. It is a specific implementation of a parallel hybrid. It uses an electric motor mounted between the internal combustion engine and transmission to act as a starter motor, power generator, engine balancer, and assist traction motor.