Honda Could Resurrect The High-Riding Accord Crosstour

Now that Honda has canceled its last electric vehicle, it can fully focus on its shift to hybrids. The automaker plans to invest nearly $28 billion to launch 15 new hybrid models by the end of the decade, and a lifted Accord hatchback might be one of them.   

A new report from Automotive News, citing “a person with knowledge of the plan,” alleges that the company will launch a high-riding hatchback version of its popular mid-size sedan. The automaker will begin producing the “Accord SUV” in mid-2029. Honda could build it at its Marysville, Ohio, factory.   

Honda is preparing to update the Accord with a major redesign, and according to the report, the launch of the new variant should coincide with the revamped sedan launch. The new Accord variant will supposedly feature Honda’s next-generation hybrid system, which will also power the Civic, CR-V, and updated Accord sedan.   

What Could Honda’s Accord SUV Look Like?   

Back in May, Honda unveiled a new prototype sedan. It featured a new wedge-shaped design, a high-riding stance, and a hatch.   

The automaker never named the prototype, but it did confirm that a production version would go on sale within the next two years. That would be sooner than the expected Accord SUV, but it seems unlikely Honda would have two new high-riding hatchbacks in development.   

The new Accord sedan will feature slimmer headlights, new taillights, an updated grille, and revamped rear-end styling. The car supposedly takes inspiration from Honda’s wedge-shaped 0 Series electric sedan. Inside, the Honda’s sedan will have a larger infotainment screen.

Not Honda’s First High-Riding Accord  

The new Accord variant sounds a lot like the 2010 Accord Crosstour. It was a lifted version of the eighth-generation Accord sedan with a sloping roof and massive rear hatch. It increased the model’s versatility, but sales peaked in its first full year on sale.   

Honda offered the crossover with four- and six-cylinder engines in front- or all-wheel drive configurations, but that was enough to attract buyers. Honda sold five of them in 2017 after the automaker discontinued Crosstour production at the end of the 2015 model year.   

A new high-riding Accord would give Honda a competitor to the Toyota Crown, which Toyota recently updated with a new hybrid powertrain. Subaru has also found success with the Legacy sedan and Outback crossover.  

A lifted sedan would also make the car more appealing to potential crossover buyers who might want something more affordable than a typical SUV. A new crossover-like model built on an existing platform is an affordable way to offer consumers a fresh product without the financial investment required for an all-new car.   

Motor1’s Take: With Honda’s EV lineup dead, the automaker needs new and refreshed products with fuel-efficient powertrains fast. Consumers are flocking to hybrids, and a high-riding Accord feels like an easy product for the company to launch.