Honda joins wagon-van fray with Accord Crosstour

[Artour]

Honda joins wagon-van fray with Accord Crosstour

LOS ANGELES, July 7, 2009 -- Following in the footsteps of Chrysler and Toyota, which fielded the Pacifica and Venza, Honda has announced that it will sell a vehicle it calls the Accord Crosstour beginning this fall as a 2010 model.

Honda declined to give additional specifics for the vehicle, which is not quite a wagon and not quite a crossover. It will be based on the Honda Accord platform, with a roofline higher than that of an Accord sedan but lower than that of an Odyssey minivan or Pilot crossover.

Spy photos of the vehicle show two rows of seats, similar to the Venza. The photos also show two tailpipes, meaning the test mules likely carry the same 271-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 engine as the Accord.

A source said the vehicle will be built at Honda's East Liberty, Ohio, assembly plant.

Honda is jumping late into a segment that has been having some problems. Chrysler was so disappointed by sales of the Pacifica that it killed production of the vehicle in 2007. Toyota had hoped to sell about 50,000 Venzas in 2009, but year-to-date sales are slightly below target, at 20,463 units.


The Accord Crosstour: Not quite a wagon, not quite a crossover.

[NismoS224]

Previous Generation maxima meets EX35.

[ZYAL8R808]

[RonSteinbach]

I believe there is a market for this car. I would consider buying one!

[Homer_Simpson]

Originally Posted by ZYAL8R808

[ares240sx]

Ugly...

[ZYAL8R808]

Originally Posted by Homer_Simpson

lol. Pictures are truly worth a thousand words.

[Artour]

Honda wagon-van is new entry in a segment still seeking sales

LOS ANGELES, July 13, 2009 — Honda's Accord Crosstour, coming this fall, will be the industry's latest attempt to succeed with a body style that has had trouble gaining traction with shoppers.

The Crosstour follows the Toyota Venza, Mercedes-Benz R class and Chrysler Pacifica among vehicles that are not quite a wagon, not quite a minivan and not quite a crossover. It is a body style that has yet to have a breakout winner.

Honda last week announced that it will sell the Crosstour but added few other details. It will be based on the Accord platform, with a roofline higher than an Accord sedan but lower than an Odyssey or Pilot.

2 rows, 2 tailpipes

Some spy photos show two rows of seats, similar to the Venza. The photos also show two tailpipes, meaning the test mules likely carry the same 271-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 engine as the Accord. Sources said the vehicle will be built in Honda's East Liberty, Ohio, plant.



So far, these crossover/wagon/vans have failed to generate much enthusiasm. Chrysler was so disappointed by sales of the Pacifica that it killed the vehicle in 2007. The company had expected to sell 100,000 annually. But its best year was 2004, with 92,363 sales. The Pacifica dipped to 53,847 in 2007, many of them fleet sales.

Mercedes' R class has fallen short of its 25,000-unit U.S. sales goal, peaking at 18,168 in 2006 before dropping to 7,733 last year.

A bust of a body style?

Bob Zeinstra, Toyota national manager of large-car and van marketing, said consumers rejected the Pacifica because the vehicle was too wide and 600 pounds too heavy, and it got insufficient fuel economy.
Toyota is slightly below its 50,000-unit annual sales rate for the Venza, selling 20,463 through June. But Zeinstra said the vehicle is starting to gain shoppers' attention.

Nearly half of Venza sales are conquests from other brands. Toyota has yet to place incentive money behind the Venza, while crossover competitors such as the Ford Edge, Nissan Murano and Mazda CX-7 have more than $3,000 apiece on the hood, Zeinstra said.

"There was some skepticism whether Venza fits into the lineup, whether it was distinctive enough," Zeinstra said. He admits some cannibalization occurs with Toyota's own Highlander.

Jim Hossack, an analyst with AutoPacific in Tustin, Calif., said the tall-wagon idea still has merit.

"People like to sit up higher, but they don't want a car, are not fond of SUVs and think of crossovers as declasse," Hossack said. "So while automakers are splitting the hair awfully fine, they are appealing to repeated customer request. People don't want to sit in a bathtub, and they don't want to see lug nuts out their window."

[ZYAL8R808]

Enough already, my eyes are starting to bleed.

[M_TYPE_X]

BMW, Honda, Toyota, etc you name it need to build real wagons again.

Apparently, BMW is going to stop 5-Series wagon imports into the US, so that they can sell the "5 Series GT" tall-wagon-thing.

[RonSteinbach]

Many sedans do not fit a tall person. With several inches more head room, this might be an idea vehicle for many.

[aliensong]

Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, which one you preferred ?

[onehundredoctane]

so honda wants to make the 4 door insight (pretty much the same outside as a Prius) and now a accord wagonish thing that has almost the same ass end as the Prius? WTFH Honda?

[M_TYPE_X]

I suppose the Crosstour looks better than the Venza.

[goldzenki82]

weird looking