The Honda CR-Z Is Officially Dead In Canada

Timothy Cain
by Timothy Cain

2016 will be the final model year for the extraordinarily slow-selling Honda CR-Z in Canada. Honda Canada spokesperson Maki Inoue confirmed that the CR-Z is done, indirectly supplanted in Honda Canada’s lineup by the reborn Honda Accord Hybrid.

“As Honda aligns its product portfolio to best take advantage of growth opportunities in the marketplace, it will add a new Accord Hybrid, and discontinue CR-Z this year,” Inoue told GoodCarBadCar earlier this afternoon.

Of course, we knew the CR-Z was done for. Separate articles on TTAC earlier today made mention of an American Honda spokesperson’s impression that the CR-Z was already dead and the glut of CR-Z inventory of which Honda dealers must now rid themselves.

News that the CR-Z is dead north of the border is thus no surprise, particularly given the car’s disastrous reception in Canada. You thought the two-seat, hybrid hatchback was unpopular in the American market? Oh, Canada: in comparison with their northerly neighbors, Americans were downright enamored with the Honda CR-Z.

Consider this: Americans buy approximately nine times more new vehicles than Canadians, but CR-Z sales in the United States were 25 times stronger than Canadian sales over the vehicle’s lifespan.

It’s not that Canadians won’t buy Hondas. More than 11 percent of the new passenger cars sold in May were Civics. Indeed, the Civic has been Canada’s best-selling car in each of the last 18 years.

But the CR-Z, underpowered and not as efficient as you’d expect a two-seat hybrid to be, did Honda Canada no favors.

Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.

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  • Speedlaw Speedlaw on Jun 15, 2016

    I got one of these as a loaner. Between the excessive NVH (is this a 1972 Fiat ?) and the constant drone of the CVT fighting the minimal engine, I was only too happy to give this back to the dealer. I was appalled that Honda somehow greenlighted such a bad car. It is rare to actively dislike a newer car..."meh' is as bad as it gets, but no, this was bad....

    • See 1 previous
    • JimC2 JimC2 on Jun 16, 2016

      @Corey Lewis ((chuckle)) Today must be "Opposite Thursday" on the internet.

  • Dynasty Dynasty on Jun 15, 2016

    So much potential, so little it demonstrated. I really wanted to like this car, but it was just too underwhelming in just about any metric.

  • Master Baiter "That said, the Inflation Reduction Act apparently does run afoul of WTO rules..."Pfft. The Biden administration doesn't care about rules. The Supreme Court said they couldn't forgive student load debt; they did it anyway. Decorum and tradition says you don't prosecute former presidents; they are doing it anyway. They made the CDC suspend evictions though they had no constitutional authority to do so.
  • 1995 SC Good. To misquote Sheryl Crow "If it makes them unhappy, it can't be that bad"
  • 1995 SC The letters on the hatch aren't big enough. hard pass
  • Ajla Those letters look like they are from AutoZone.
  • Analoggrotto Kia EV9 was voted the best vehicle in the world and this is the best TOYOTA can do? Nice try, next.
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