You Asked; Honda Answered? Mysterious Crossover Appears in Design Patent

Given the way the industry’s going, this website might soon have to change its name to The Truth About Crossovers. Thankfully, the acronym remains the same.

A U.S. design patent granted to Honda on Tuesday reveals that three utility vehicles might not be enough for the Japanese automaker’s American lineup. As car companies both domestic and foreign scramble to fill in gaps in their showrooms, it seems Honda hasn’t yet reached the crossover saturation point.

The patent, which carries a filing date of August 2nd, 2016, shows a two-row crossover with a more steeply raked rear window than either the compact CR-V or midsize Pilot. There’s no headroom for a third row back there. A spoiler adorns the top of the liftgate.

Basically, if the defunct Honda Crosstour and Ford Edge had a baby, it might look a lot like this. The appearance of high-end flourishes, such as a chrome fender vents and integrated twin tailpipes with some surrounding brightwork, lend credence to Automotive News‘ prediction of a potential near-premium two-row arriving next year as a 2019 model.

Dealers apparently pressed Honda for a larger model positioned above the CR-V, designed to do battle with swankier rivals. The model would shun the CR-V’s platform in favor of that of the three-row Pilot.

Not only would the larger platform give backseat passengers room to stretch out, it would also add more acreage aft of the rear seats, allowing for rakish rear glass in the now-commonplace four-door SUV coupe tradition. The model would surely borrow the Pilot’s powertrain, and would be built in Alabama alongside its three-row sibling.

Should it make it to production (what automaker says no to a new crossover?), Honda had better not use the “c” (coupe) word.

[Images: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office]