by Remember the Accord Crosstour? It seems Honda does, even if you don’t, because 11 years after that odd sedan-hatchback-crossover hybrid disappeared from America, the company is reportedly preparing another Accord with a large rear hatch and SUV ambitions.
New Accord in the Role of a Crossover
Honda is considering a model internally called the Accord SUV. It could go into production around mid-2029 at the company’s plant in Marysville, Ohio, sources tell Automotive News. This model will arrive alongside a redesigned Accord sedan, and both will use a next-generation hybrid powertrain.
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Despite the SUV label, don’t expect another traditional SUV squeezing between the CR-V, Passport, and Pilot. Instead, the idea is a lifted Accord hatchback with larger wheels and tires, increased ground clearance, and a more spacious trunk, while retaining the sedan’s long-wheelbase platform.
Looks Like Subaru
If you think this sounds suspiciously like a Honda-style Subaru Outback, that’s no coincidence. Dealerships see Subaru as an obvious target. Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury noted in a publication that the Outback was among the top 10 most popular vehicles purchased by customers leaving Honda between 2020 and 2025. More importantly, Honda currently offers nothing that could directly compete with it.
Creating a new model based on the existing Accord will help control development costs while offering buyers a roomier, taller vehicle without needing to buy a traditional SUV. One Honda dealer described a potential customer as someone “ready to give up a sedan but not yet ready to fully switch to an SUV.”
The timeline cited by Automotive News—the end of the decade—aligns with Honda’s hybrid plans. The company aims for 15 hybrid models globally by 2030, and the Accord itself will become hybrid-only by 2031.
Its Time, or Just Too Ugly?
Of course, Honda has been down this road before. The Accord Crosstour (later renamed simply Crosstour) arrived in 2010 with a higher ride height and hatchback practicality. But U.S. sales peaked at just 28,851 units in its first year, and Honda discontinued the model in late 2015, just as the crossover craze was taking off. So perhaps now is the right time for a second attempt.
More on this: The Accord gets a futuristic facelift and possibly a fake Prelude shift lever.
The Crosstour was often criticized for its awkward design, and we can be sure Honda will take that into account when creating the successor. Likely, the new model will borrow styling cues from the recent Honda Hybrid Sedan Prototype concept shown in May, and maybe even elements from the canceled electric sedan Model 0 Saloon and 0 SUV we were supposed to get this year. But whatever the design, it’s unlikely to look uglier than the Outback in Wilderness trim.
Honda Hybrid Sedan Prototype, which likely previews the regular next-generation Accord.
Overall, returning to the Crosstour idea seems strategically justified: the crossover market is crowded, but the niche of “lifted” wagons, dominated by the Subaru Outback, remains poorly filled. Honda could win through the recognizability of the Accord name and hybrid technology, while avoiding direct competition with its own CR-V and Passport. However, the key factor will be design—if the company repeats the mistake of the awkward Crosstour, even good technology won’t save sales. The 2029 timeline gives Honda enough time to carefully study past mistakes and adapt the idea to modern preferences.
