Europe Won't Get Next-Generation Honda Accord
With Accord sales tanking in Europe, Honda says it has no plans to bring a next-generation model to Europe, despite introducing variants for North America, Asia and Russia.
The critically acclaimed Accord, also known as our Acura TSX, has become a victim of Europe’s decimated car market, and mid-size sedans have been hit particularly hard. The Accord was never a big player in Europe, despite being praised to high heaven by the motoring press. Just-Auto is reporting that
for now, the emphasis is on rebuilding sales, led by the firm’s new 1.6-litre ‘i-DTEC’ four-cylinder turbodiesel engine. This is now being fitted to the Civic and will be added to the new CR-V from the first quarter of 2013.
A new world-market Accord is expected to bow at either the Sydney Motor Show in October or the Guangzhou show in November. Russia is apparently exempt from the Accord prohibition, since they are considered a distinct entity from Europe, and also get the Acura brand.
More by Derek Kreindler
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A diesel CR-V? Too bad they didn't have one of those here in the US last year. We might have traded our '05 CR-V for one of those instead of a Jetta tdi.
Why is this any sort of surprise? How many non-premium brand sedans sell in Europe every year? Very nearly none would be the answer. There aren't enough old fogeys still driving over there to make it worth Hondas while to compete with the Mondeo. Ultimately the problem is why would you buy an Accord in Europe when you can get an (admittedly less well equipped) 3-series or A4 or C-class for the same money?
It doesn't help when you have the British press constantly reminding readers that only olders drive Honda's over there.
Actually fitting the 1.6 diesel in the euro Accord would have helped it's sales a lot, because I think most of the Passats,A4's,Avensis and Mondeos have a lot cheaper entry modes to choose from because of tax rules over here. At least here in Norway a well equipped car always beats a powerful car for resale value, and the people who care about reliability buy Avensis' instead. In Norway a base level Accord wagon (not many people buy sedans here) starts at $67k with the 156 hp 2.0 gas engine while an Avensis is $49k with the smallest 132 hp diesel. The really sad part is that when you start speccing up the Avensis with similar equipment and power as the Accord, the price difference is tiny considering the size and handling difference between the cars (the Accord is the more 'premium' car of the two) PS:-these prices will not make sense outside Norway, and maybe Denmark because of specific tax rules :P