Honda is reportedly planning to revive the Element after what will be, by the time it debuts, an 18-year absence on the market. Details are sparse, but the resurrected Element nameplate will go on a hybrid crossover that will split the difference, size-wise, between an HR-V and CR-V. Like the original, it should have a rugged appearance, as Honda is positioning it to go against cars like the Ford Bronco Sport.
The report comes from the trade publication Automotive News. Honda is targeting the red-hot compact crossover segment, aiming for just under 100,000 units sold in the first year of production. Nearly a fifth of all new car sales are compact crossovers, a segment that’s 3.5 million units strong annually.
The original Honda Element debuted in 2003, during the early-2oo0s 2Box era of car design. Along with the Scion xB and Nissan Cube, it was often described as a “toaster on wheels” but targeted at a more outdoorsy audience than its fellow bread warmers. The urban yet outdoorsy image initially confused consumers, but eventually the Element found its groove as a funky runabout for adventurers and enthusiasts alike. That it was offered with a stickshift didn’t hurt.
The upcoming Element, like its predecessor, will be built in the US, at Honda’s Ohio manufacturing facilities that until recently were slated to build its next-generation of EVs before the entire program was scuttled. It’s not clear yet whether US-built Elements will be shipped to Japan for sale, as the previous one was. Production is scheduled to begin in 2029.
