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.
The big question is whether they’ll just build something quirky again – and not lasting in the market. Or if they’ll just buff it up with a lot of tuff-guy stuff like a CX-50 (tuff looking but no real off-roading substance underneath – it has no creds and is a very boring vehicle).
Or whether they’ll do a very thorough job like Ford did with the Bronco Sport. Kudos to Ford for building the real deal.
Not buying it until I see it. Several sources have teased an Element revival before. This would be a smart move by Honda as I am an Element cult member :).
But as the post above me mentioned, it would need to be quirky again…Boxy, Crab-doors, off-road-ish abilities. Otherwise, it’s just another Passport.
Keep the crab doors and the boxy design and simple controls!!!
The boxy form is great I don’t think there’s enough Bro in it to compare it with the Bronco’s target audience. It’s got ti hold a Hy Lift Jack, 2 gas cans, 2 water cans a Yakima basket, Jackery solar panels, & traction boards to make it to Safeway.