CONFIRMED: Honda to drop Accord Crosstour after 2015

Roughly a half-dozen people will be disappointed to learn Honda has confirmed rumours it will cut the ugly-duckling Accord Crosstour hatchback-thing after the 2015 model year.

Introduced in 2010, the Crosstour was Honda’s Aztek, looking like it was styled by a committee of people who knew nothing about vehicle design. The unfortunate thing was that its awkward styling hid a practical, comfortable interior that combined full-size sedan passenger space with a vast cargo area.

According to Automotive News, the Crosstour’s elimination will allow Honda’s East Liberty, Ohio plant to focus on the more popular CR-V and the refreshed RDX compact luxury crossover. The plant will also take on production of Acura’s larger MDX in 2017.

Automotive News quotes Honda USA’s executive VP John Mendel as saying the forthcoming HR-V will “meet the needs of customers who were once targeted by the Crosstour,” but we fail to see how a compact crossover could fill the shoes of the much larger Crosstour. In any event, the HR-V puts Honda in a more lucrative segment, and it won’t siphon sales from the redesigned Pilot that was unveiled at the Toronto auto show.

Honda’s news comes a couple of months after Toyota said it plans to cut Crosstour’s crosstown rival, the Venza, from its lineup in favour of the more conventional RAV4 and Highlander models.