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The Honda Crosstour is no more

While hardly the most surprising news in the automotive world, it's with sad hearts that we report the passing of any automotive nameplate... even when it's as generally unloved as the Honda Crosstour. In a statement from American Honda, Executive Vice President John Mendel confirms the quirky, sort-of wagon's demise for the 2016 model year. The Crosstour was introduced in 2010 as a compromise between a crossover and a traditional station wagon. However, unlike the popular Subaru Outback with a similar melding of styles, Honda's was never able to really catch on. Honda America's CEO was disappointed with sales as far back as 2011, and an attempt to make the model look a little more rugged didn't work. In 2014, 11,802 Crosstours were sold, a 29.9-percent drop from the year before. In its announcement for the vehicle's discontinuation, Honda says the new HR-V should "play a more significant role as a gateway model." The company thinks the crossover segment today has changed from when the Crosstour debuted. The capacity at the East Liberty Plant in Ohio previously required for Crosstour production will be used for the more popular CR-V, Acura RDX and, as of early 2017, the MDX. Meanwhile, production of the Honda Accord Hybrid will be moved from the Marysville Auto Plant in Ohio to Japan. Statement by John Mendel, Executive Vice President, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Re: North American Production Portfolio Apr 8, 2015 Honda's growth strategy in North America is keyed to aligning our product portfolio and related production around the needs of our customers and growth segments in the marketplace. This includes the fortification of our light truck line-up with the recent introduction of a refreshed version of America's best- selling SUV, the CR-V, as well as the all-new 2016 HR-V, a new 2016 Pilot, and the next generation Ridgeline truck, coming to market next year. The strategy also includes strengthening our leading lineup of passenger cars with the introduction this fall of an all-new Civic lineup that will include more variants than ever before, including a new five-door model. In order to fulfill this customer-focused strategy, we are making several changes to the lineup of vehicles we build in our auto plants in Ohio.

Honda Accord Hybrid sales capacity constrained

Honda might be selling more hybrids if it could just get them to dealers. While the second-generation Insight never lived up to sales expectations and production is ending, the Japanese automaker is seeing strong demand for the Accord Hybrid here and abroad. However, there is so much global consumer desire that it can't keep them in US showrooms.
The problem limiting the sales of the Accord Hybrid is its battery pack and its popularity in Japan. "There's a waiting list for the product," said Jeff Conrad, Honda general manager, to Ward's Auto about the sedan's US popularity. While the American Accord is built in Marysville, OH, the batteries are imported from Japan, where the model is quite popular. According to Ward's data, the automaker sold 2,414 examples of the hybrid version from October 2013 to February 2014 in the US, but it shifted 6,000 units in Japan in its first three months on sale. Conrad also admitted that the constrained supply is limiting the amount of marketing the automaker can do for the hybrid.
Honda spokesperson Chris Martin told Autoblog the company is working on a solution to increase production for the near future. "We are going to resolve the battery issue," he said.

Takata airbag victim looked like she had been stabbed

We generally take certain principals for granted. The more water you drink, for example, the healthier you'll be. The more time you spend reading car news on Autoblog, the better informed you'll be. And the more airbags your car has, the safer you'll be. Because airbags equal safety. But that's not what some unfortunate drivers of vehicles equipped with Takata airbags are finding, and tragically finding out the hard way.
In what could be the most startling incident resulting from the airbag debacle so far, a woman named Hien Tran of Orlando, FL, was killed by what looked at first like stab wounds on her neck. It later emerged that the fatal injuries could have been inflicted by the faulty airbag on her Honda Accord. Tran bought her Honda secondhand, and may not have been aware that the airbag issue had not been addressed by its previous owner in a previous recall in 2009.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death, but it wouldn't be the only injury resulting from the malfunctioning Takata airbags. The units, employed particularly by Japanese automakers like Honda (which owns part of Takata) and Toyota, are the subject of a massive recall involving some 14 million vehicles from 11 different automakers.