Grab Your Handkerchiefs - Honda Discontinued the Crosstour

[Gecko]

PRESS RELEASE

Statement by John Mendel, Executive Vice President, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Re: North American Production Portfolio

Apr 8, 2015

Honda's growth strategy in North America is keyed to aligning our product portfolio and related production around the needs of our customers and growth segments in the marketplace. This includes the fortification of our light truck line-up with the recent introduction of a refreshed version of America's best- selling SUV, the CR-V, as well as the all-new 2016 HR-V, a new 2016 Pilot, and the next generation Ridgeline truck, coming to market next year. The strategy also includes strengthening our leading lineup of passenger cars with the introduction this fall of an all-new Civic lineup that will include more variants than ever before, including a new five-door model.

In order to fulfill this customer-focused strategy, we are making several changes to the lineup of vehicles we build in our auto plants in Ohio. Effective with the 2016 model year, we will discontinue production of the Honda Crosstour at the East Liberty Plant in Ohio, also home to the hot-selling Honda CR-V and Acura RDX models, and transfer production of the Accord Hybrid from the Marysville Auto Plant to the Sayama Plant in Japan.

The Crosstour, introduced in 2010, served a positive role in helping the Honda brand target crossover buyers. However, the crossover segment has evolved and we believe the all-new 2016 Honda HR-V launching later this spring will create new value for crossover shoppers and play a more significant role as a gateway model for the Honda brand to drive light truck sales growth. This move will allow the East Liberty Plant to focus on meeting demand for the CR-V and a refreshed 2016 Acura RDX and, as announced last month, expand light truck production in early 2017 with the Acura MDX.

The transfer of the Accord Hybrid from the Marysville Auto Plant (MAP) to Honda's Sayama Plant in Japan, will better optimize our global production capabilities, enabling MAP to focus on its significant role in producing popular models including the Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe and the Acura TLX and ILX performance sedans. ILX production began at MAP in February 2015.

Honda will continue to evolve its customer-focused product strategy in North America by leveraging the flexibility of its production operations in the region. Last year, more than 97 percent of the Honda and Acura vehicles sold in America were produced in North America.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2015/04/08/honda-crosstour-discontinued/#image-2

 

[mmcartalk]

The Crosstour was a pretty good idea, and WOULD have made a good competitor to the Subaru Outback and Toyota Venza IF Honda had not been so insistent about using that droop-down rear end, which significantly affected rear cargo space and rearward visibility from the driver's seat. IMO, they should have used the nice, sharp-looking wagon body that Acura ended up using for the TSX Sportwagon.....it would have been a much better choice, and, IMO, would have made it more successful, although, to be honest, the TSX Sportwagon didn't sell in huge numbers either. But that was, I think, because the Sportwagon did not offer a V6 or AWD, which would also have made it a good competitor to the Venza and Outback...and perhaps to the Volvo XC70 Cross-Country.

(I'm not just being a Monday-Moning Quarterback after the game-loss, BTW......I said so at the time)

 

[mikeavelli]

Wow what a twist on reality by Mendel but you can't blame them for protecting their product. Its amazing how BMW seems to be the only one that can dominate the 4 door SUV coupe market. Both the Honda Crosstour and Acura ZDX in the X6 mold failed pretty badly. I'm not sure if the new Benz GLE will fare much better. It might just be the kind of market for only one car/two max.

Its also amazing to see how American Honda/Acura are.

 

[mmcartalk]

Wow what a twist on reality by Mendel

but you can't blame them for protecting their product.

I don't know how anybody at Honda (much less an Executive VP) can look at the Crosstour for more than two or three seconds and not immediately see what its obvious problem was.

Its amazing how BMW seems to be the only one that can dominate the 4 door SUV coupe market. Both the Honda Crosstour and Acura ZDX in the X6 mold failed pretty badly.

I was not a fan of the X6 by any means, but at least it had some room in it. The door-height and roofline of the ZDX made the back seat pretty much a place for kiddies.

 

[CIF]

Wow what a twist on reality by Mendel but you can't blame them for protecting their product. Its amazing how BMW seems to be the only one that can dominate the 4 door SUV coupe market. Both the Honda Crosstour and Acura ZDX in the X6 mold failed pretty badly. I'm not sure if the new Benz GLE will fare much better. It might just be the kind of market for only one car/two max.

Its also amazing to see how American Honda/Acura are.

Took the words right out of my mouth. Agreed 100%. Also fascinating how the new Civic was designed and supposedly will be primarily built in America, as a global model. I mean wow, what happened to Honda?

 

[mmcartalk]

Took the words right out of my mouth. Agreed 100%. Also fascinating how the new Civic was designed and supposedly will be primarily built in America, as a global model. I mean wow, what happened to Honda?

Unlike with the Crosstour, though (which they basically ignored), Honda moved very quickly to address criticisms of the last totally redesigned Civic, in 2012. They had clearly gone overboard in cutting costs, turning out an El-Cheapo, overly-hard all-plastic interior that would have looked out of place even in a base Kia Rio. Road manners, usually a Civic strong point except for road noise, also suffered somewhat. Not surprisingly, most reviewers, auto magazines, and Consumer Reports had a field day with their write-ups, and a shocked Honda design team immediately implemented a emergency program to upgrade interior trim and make chassis/suspension changes. The result was a substantially improved Civic in less than one year....when the 2013 models debuted late in 2012.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

 

[mikeavelli]

I don't know how anybody at Honda (much less an Executive VP) can look at the Crosstour for more than two or three seconds and not immediately see what its obvious problem was.



I was not a fan of the X6 by any means, but at least it had some room in it. The door-height and roofline of the ZDX made the back seat pretty much a place for kiddies.

Mike the funny thing is previously one of their heads guys said that the car looks amazing. So to them it looks great. Really odd to be honest.

I literally could not get inside the rear of the ZDX to fit since the design is so poor the shape is for dogs basically. I've never had that happen before, it was stunning that made it to production.

 

[mmcartalk]

I literally could not get inside the rear of the ZDX to fit since the design is so poor the shape is for dogs basically. I've never had that happen before, it was stunning that made it to production.

Same here. At last year's (2014) D.C. auto show, I had to hunch over like a embryo to get in under the rear roofline. Then, once your head's in, there's almost no room for your legs. Despite Acura's rhetoric, the rear seat was simply not designed for adults.

At least the Crosstour's rear roofline did not droop down till after the rear seat, not into it.

 

[CIF]

Unlike with the Crosstour, though (which they basically ignored), Honda moved very quickly to address criticisms of the last totally redesigned Civic, in 2012. They had clearly gone overboard in cutting costs, turning out an El-Cheapo, overly-hard all-plastic interior that would have looked out of place even in a base Kia Rio. Road manners, usually a Civic strong point except for road noise, also suffered somewhat. Not surprisingly, most reviewers, auto magazines, and Consumer Reports had a field day with their write-ups, and a shocked Honda design team immediately implemented a emergency program to upgrade interior trim and make chassis/suspension changes. The result was a substantially improved Civic in less than one year....when the 2013 models debuted late in 2012.

Yes, but the new Civic design looks very alienating, and it puzzles me how Honda is seemingly becoming almost entirely American. Having the global Civic model designed and supposedly also to be built in America? That would have been unheard of in the past for Honda.

 

[corradoMR2]

Previous-gen Accord tech and interior wrapped in an overweight bubble design sacrificing room = dismal sales.

There is a guy up my street that has one in black and admittedly in this color it's acceptable to my eyes in some angles only.

 

[mmcartalk]

Previous-gen Accord tech and interior wrapped in an overweight bubble design sacrificing room = dismal sales.

There is a guy up my street that has one in black and admittedly in this color it's acceptable to my eyes in some angles only.

The Outback, of course, has dominated this market, for so many years, that it would have been an uphill climb even for a better-designed Crosstour to significantly penetrate it. And, as you note, its poorly-done rear end certainly didn't help. But, still, with a more squared-off rear and better space efficiency inside, I think the Crosstour would have done somewhat better than it did.

Note that production of the Toyota Venza for the American market is also being discontinued in June. The Venza's body and interior wasn't as poorly designed as the Crosstour's, but it was saddled with overly-large 19 and 20-inch wheels/tires, which most buyers in this class of car are not interested in, stiffening up the ride, and expensive to replace.

 

[corradoMR2]

The Outback, of course, has dominated this market, for so many years, that it would have been an uphill climb even for a better-designed Crosstour to significantly penetrate it. And, as you note, its poorly-done rear end certainly didn't help. But, still, with a more squared-off rear and better space efficiency inside, I think the Crosstour would have done somewhat better than it did.

Note that production of the Toyota Venza for the American market is also being discontinued in June. The Venza's body and interior wasn't as poorly designed as the Crosstour's, but it was saddled with overly-large 19 and 20-inch wheels/tires, which most buyers in this class of car are not interested in, stiffening up the ride, and expensive to replace.

Yep, owned the Venza V6 with the 20s for a little over a year and the ride was choppy, interior fit + finish was embarrassing even for the Big Three, and rattles galore. It's too bad because we loved the huge interior, exterior and interior design, cargo, and V6 power.

 

[mikeavelli]

Yep, owned the Venza V6 with the 20s for a little over a year and the ride was choppy, interior fit + finish was embarrassing even for the Big Three, and rattles galore. It's too bad because we loved the huge interior, exterior and interior design, cargo, and V6 power.

I rented a Venza last year and was stunned at how poor the interior was. It had space, tons of nifty features but that dash drove me nuts.

 

[corradoMR2]

I rented a Venza last year and was stunned at how poor the interior was. It had space, tons of nifty features but that dash drove me nuts.

I had to dig up my old posts at toyotanation on the poor fit issues. Here's one:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...nterior-fit-finish-quality-2.html#post3085881

Some of the dash trim sticking out bothered me so much I Krazy Glued the damn pieces down.

Here's another issue I forgot I had and glad I posted a pic there too:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/152-venza-forum/324587-molding-popping-off-2.html#post3089613



It's too bad the fit has been a consistent problem among many owners and as you noticed, even recent Venzas 5-6 years later have the same eye sores. I almost wonder if this and the harsh ride were what truly hurt sales.

 

[CIF]

I had to dig up my old posts at toyotanation on the poor fit issues. Here's one:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...nterior-fit-finish-quality-2.html#post3085881

Some of the dash trim sticking out bothered me so much I Krazy Glued the damn pieces down.

Here's another issue I forgot I had and glad I posted a pic there too:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/152-venza-forum/324587-molding-popping-off-2.html#post3089613

View attachment 301

It's too bad the fit has been a consistent problem among many owners and as you noticed, even recent Venzas 5-6 years later have the same eye sores. I almost wonder if this and the harsh ride were what truly hurt sales.

Wow that is shocking for a Toyota, I had no idea it was that bad in terms of Venza problems .

With this in mind, it makes total sense that they're cancelling the Venza. Probably too much similarity with the Rav4 and Highlander, and these quality problems are definitely very un-Toyota like.

 

[Tragic Bronson]

FYI, the JDM equivalent that the Venza followed, the Mark X Zio, was also 86'd back in 2013...I guess it also didn't capture the heart of Japanese buyers either.

 

[mikeavelli]

I don't think they should have gave up on the Venza, it just needed some a full recharge. Funny to think the Chrysler Pacifica was canned too which was a predecessor and it actually sold decent.

Meanwhile BMW can't make enough 55k-115k X6's...go figure..

 

[CIF]

I don't think they should have gave up on the Venza, it just needed some a full recharge. Funny to think the Chrysler Pacifica was canned too which was a predecessor and it actually sold decent.

Meanwhile BMW can't make enough 55k-115k X6's...go figure..

Yeah, plus I don't think Toyota's strategy is entering every possible niche segment like BMW or Mercedes lol.

 

[mmcartalk]

I don't think they should have gave up on the Venza, it just needed some a full recharge. Funny to think the Chrysler Pacifica was canned too which was a predecessor and it actually sold decent.

The Pacifica, though, was generally more comfortable to drive because the wheels and tires were a lot less aggressive.......and it generally couldn't match the Venza's drivetrain reliability. With the Venza, I agree that they didn't have to ax it......just use some wheels and taller-profile tires that provide ride comfort more in line with the Outback (which generally is quite comfortable). It can sometimes be hard to figure out why auto marketers make some of the decisions that they do....they sometimes seem to be in world by themselves.