Honda will give the Odyssey a minor makeover.
While there’s been plenty of talk about the demise of the minivan, the classic people-mover segment continues to attract plenty of buyers who need space and flexibility, and Honda hopes to expand the appeal of its popular Odyssey model with a mild makeover it plans to unveil at the New York Auto Show later this month.
The Japanese maker is promising to add some “innovative new features” when it launches the 2014 Honda Odyssey at the Jacob Javits convention center. Precisely what that means, the maker isn’t saying, though minivan buyers put a premium on such features as seating and storage, as well as fuel economy.
Infotainment and other technologies designed to enhance safety could also be in the mix, a number of recent breakthroughs seeming perfect for the family van segment, such as cross-traffic alert.
Expect to see some modest tweaks to both the interior and exterior of the 2014 Odyssey, though it will likely retain the quirky kick-down of the back windows that the maker says let’s even the youngest passengers get a view of the world passing by.
Honda is rapidly expanding the use of three new hybrid powertrains but it is not expected to introduce that technology on its Odyssey minivan, at least not until it launches a more complete remake later in the decade. However, it very well could expand the use of its 6-speed gearbox, now limited to the Odyssey Touring model. The LX, EX and EX-L are saddled with a less efficient 5-speed paired with the 3.5-liter Honda V-6.
What’s clear is that minivan makers need to keep coming up with ways to draw buyers in. Derided as “soccer-mom” vehicles, they have lost a lot of momentum since their heyday in the 1980s and ‘90s, overall U.S. minivan sales plunging from around 1.4 million to barely 500,000 last year. In fact, Chrysler has given strong hints it may drop one of its two remaining minivan models in the next couple years, or switch to a less traditional people-mover design.
That’s the approach Ford took with its Flex model, though it returned to a somewhat more traditional minivan design with the downsized C-Max. And it will soon add the new Ford Transit Connect Wagon.
Honda has been able to hold its own with the Odyssey in recent years, riding on a reputation for quality and reliability, as well as traditional minivan features.
In turn, the Japanese maker has been able to command a premium for the Odyssey, the 2013 model starting at $29,505, plus $830 destination charges, compared to just $20,990 for the Dodge Grand Caravan.