Honda may revive the high-riding Accord Crosstour

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

A new report from automotive newsCiting “a person with knowledge of the plans”, it is alleged that the company will launch a high-riding hatchback version of its popular mid-size sedan. The automaker will begin production of the “Accord SUV” in mid-2029. Honda can make it at its factory in Marysville, Ohio.

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 revised sedan launch. The new Accord variants are believed to feature Honda’s next-generation hybrid system, which will also power the Civic, CR-V and the updated Accord sedan.

What could Honda’s Accord SUV look like?

In May, Honda unveiled a new prototype sedan. It features a new wedge-shaped design, a high-riding stance and a hatch.

The automaker never revealed the name of the prototype, but did confirm that a production version would go on sale within the next two years. It would be sooner than the expected Accord SUV, but it doesn’t seem unlikely that Honda will have two new high-riding hatchbacks in development.

The new Accord sedan will feature slimmer headlights, new taillights, an updated grille and redesigned rear-end styling. The car is believed to take inspiration from Honda’s wedge-shaped 0 Series electric sedan. Honda will have a large infotainment screen inside the sedan.

Not Honda’s first high-riding Accord

The new Accord variant looks a lot like the 2010 Accord Crosstour. It was a facelifted version of the eighth-generation Accord sedan with a sloping roofline and a massive rear hatch. This increased the model’s versatility, but sales were flat in the first full year of sales.

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

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

A lifted sedan would make the car more attractive to potential crossover buyers who 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 refreshed product without the financial investment required for an entirely new car.

Motor1’s Opinion: With Honda’s EV lineup winding down, the automaker needs new and refreshed products with increasingly fuel-efficient powertrains. Consumers are gravitating toward hybrids, and the high-riding Accord seems like an easy product for the company to launch.