Honda Kills Element

[bizzybear]

Originally Posted by InsideLine

Just the Facts:

• Honda announces that 2011 will be the final year for the Element.
• The automaker has sold 12,960 Elements in the calendar year to date.
• Honda sold 939 Elements in November 2010 versus 1,017 in November 2009.

TORRANCE, California — The Honda Element will be discontinued after the 2011 model year, Honda announced on Friday. The Japanese automaker explained that "utility-seeking customers have more recently embraced other vehicles in the Honda lineup," such as the Honda CR-V, but sales of the boxy Element had been slipping recently.

When Honda reported its November sales on December 1, the Element had tumbled 11.5 percent versus a year ago. Honda sold 939 Elements in November 2010 versus 1,017 in November 2009. Honda has sold 12,960 Elements in the calendar year to date, a decline of 3.4 percent versus 2009 sales. Sales of the Honda Ridgeline have also been suffering. Honda reported a sales drop of 36.4 percent in November 2010 sales of the Ridgeline versus a year ago.

Honda offered little in terms of explanation for the demise of the Element. However, the Element lagged behind other vehicles in the Honda lineup in fuel economy — an increasingly critical element for vehicle shoppers. The 2010 Element 2WD with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed automatic transmission delivers 20 mpg in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. In comparison, a 2010 Honda CR-V with the same powertrain delivers 21 mpg in city driving and 28 mpg on the highway.

The Element made its name in quirky ways and proved to be a favorite of pet owners. Honda introduced the Dog Friendly Element accessory package in 2009. The automaker said it sold more than 325,000 Elements in the U.S. since its introduction in December 2002.

Inside Line says: Could Ridgeline be next on the chopping block? — Anita Lienert, Correspondent

Original http://www.insideline.com/honda/elem...s-element.html

i think it could be redesigned with possibly a turbo-I4 which would improve the mpg's... the Element is a relatively fun vehicle to drive and i thought it was cool...

sn: i would never buy one lol...

[mdbrich]

The element, one honda I never considered owning. Then I am not a fan of SUV's or anything bigger then a two door civic

[bizzybear]

lol... my friend has an element and it's decent for towing small loads and since there's no carpet, you don't have to worry about keeping it clean... the rear arranges for some really good amounts of storage too...

overall, i think the CR-V would be the choice if i were in the market for one of those...

[Vash337]

the SC looked good for about a second, until they got rid of the projectors

[bizzybear]

they got rid of the projectors?? i didn't know that haha... the SC wheels look really nice on a Fiji Blue Si like i had lol...

[GoHuskies]

Originally Posted by bizzybear

they got rid of the projectors?? i didn't know that haha... the SC wheels look really nice on a Fiji Blue Si like i had lol...

Pilot & the Element. Eh.

To bad on the Element. A better engine could have helped. The old plastic trimmed base models were amazing as an outdoor ute. You could drive right into brush and branches without much worry about the paint.

[VTEC Mini]

There ok.......... The only Honda I like is the CR-Z. Maybe they will take the orange they wont be using for the element and apply it to the CR-Z.

[taikahn]

The element is one of the most useful and interesting Hondas out there. We LOVED ours. My brother LOVES his and one of our best customers from back in the day has a supercharged one (only one in the country actually).

Sad to see it get cut.

[JnC]

I hear they were going to have a replacement.
Mid-engined and they'll put a trunk in the front.
They will call it...

The Honda Elephant

[angelina]

We have one and it has been amazing for our 3-legged dog (Milkshake and yes, we do sing "her milkshake brings all the pups to the yard ) - we keep the back seats out and drive it with an open back for her... The fuel economy does suck, but then again there is a TON of room in it... We got the '09 after the redesign... Wonder how hard it will be to get parts?

I'm kinda bummed