Production plant closure sees the end of popular Odyssey MPV, Legend sedan and Clarity eco-vehicle.
Honda’s Odyssey people mover and the Legend sedan are finishing production, along with the lesser-known Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV), according to Nikkei Asia.
Production will stop in March 2022 for the Odyssey which has been one of the more popular people movers in Australia. However, come mid-2022, there will be no new stock arriving.
The first-generation Odyssey launched in 1994 and the model on sale now recently received a facelift this year, seven years into the current generation’s life. Production of the Odyssey is completed at Honda’s Sayama plant, the same facility that the Legend – a 36-year-old car – is built at, but the plant will shut its doors in March 2022, discontinuing both models from production entirely.
Honda has not confirmed if there will be direct replacements but given the booming SUV segment, it is likely that production efficiencies will make way for crossover and other types of high-riding family cars.
The Honda Clarity, a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (pictured above) that is on sale in only selected markets, will also cease production due to low sales volume given its niche nature. Six years old, the Clarity is Honda’s first FCEV and a plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) was also spawned on the model’s platform, though that too will be discontinued.
Honda’s future is looking electric – like so many manufacturers are promising – and it is unclear where hydrogen will fit in, though the current lack of infrastructure for refuelling is discouraging.
It is impossible to comprehend the logic or lack thereof behind so much that Honda has done that was inexpedient. I bought the Luxury version of the Odyssey in 2005 and it was one of the best cars I ever owned – in fact I panned to replace it with a new one and then Honda inexplicably changed the design from a smart, innovative, well-designed wagon type vehicle to a van-like people carrier with sliding doors and zero credibility! They also killed the MDX, which was one of the best family 4x4s available! Are Honda on a suicide mission. They certainly need to repopulate their design and marketing teams if they are to avoid a future in obscurity.