The long-running Honda Odyssey people mover is nearing the end of the line in Australia.
Honda Australia has confirmed its seven-seat rival to the Kia Carnival will be phased out in the first or second quarter of 2022.
“Odyssey production does end globally relatively soon,” said Honda Australia director, Stephen Collins.
“We’ll be ordering as many cars [as required] to get us through to the first quarter, second quarter next year, but stock will start to run tight.”
“We’ll take it as long as we can, but first half next year will pretty much be it,” Mr Collins said.
Honda earlier this year confirmed the plant where the current Odyssey is built will be shuttered by March 31, 2022.
“It’s disappointing,” Mr Collins told CarExpert. “It’s discontinued globally, it’s been a great car for us.”
The closure of the plant is due to Honda realigning its global manufacturing operations ahead of its transition to selling only zero-emissions vehicles by 2040.
No successor to the current Odyssey is currently planned, although Mr Collins says Honda Australia would put its hand up for a new people mover if one becomes available.
“There’s nothing currently on the horizon, but I know that we’ve had a very strong presence particularly in the private part of that market for many, many years – maybe 20 years. We’d certainly be interested in [a replacement].”
Although the American market gets an Odyssey, it’s a standalone model built only in left-hand drive. Any replacement for Australia would need to be built in Japan or Thailand, and at the moment there’s nothing on offer.
The current Odyssey was revealed in 2013, and was treated to updates in 2018 and early in 2021.
The model debuted in Australia in 1995, and has been sold over five generations.
Arriving earlier in 2021, the latest model wears a bluffer new front and features a larger touchscreen infotainment system, while the full suite of active safety technology is now standard across the entire range.
Honda says the Odyssey was Australian private buyers’ favourite people mover in 2020, with 34 per cent market share.
Last year, it sold 1091 examples of the Odyssey, accounting for 16.1 per cent of VFACTS’ People Mover Under $60,000 segment.
In contrast, 3650 examples of the Kia Carnival were sold, accounting for over 50 per cent market share in the segment. Third place went to the LDV G10 with 725 sales.
MORE: Everything Honda Odyssey
