What is happening with the Honda Odyssey?

Honda’s fifth-generation Odyssey has been chugging along in Australian showrooms for almost over six years, but when will the brand confirm a new people mover?

A new report from Japanese publication Best Car Web is indicating that the next-generation Odyssey might be in jeopardy as sales dwindle and consumer preferences swing towards SUVs.

According to Best Car Web, another Odyssey update is due to be launched later this year, which will serve as a litmus test for whether Honda will build another people mover.

Since being launched in early 2014, the Odyssey was facelifted in 2017 to keep styling and equipment fresh.

The updated Odyssey due this year will reportedly wear a revised front fascia with LED headlights, receive boosted levels of equipment (such as hands-free, gesture operated doors) and more safety features.

Powering the new Odyssey will be carryover engines, including a 129kW/225Nm 2.4-litre petrol engine and, in overseas markets, a 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid shared with the Accord sedan.

If the Odyssey proves to be successful for Honda, the new-generation model should arrive around 2022, according to Best Car Web.

In Australia so far this year, Honda has sold 384 examples of its Odyssey, a 16.7 per cent decrease over the same period in 2019, but still 17.4 per cent of the mainstream people mover market.

Kia’s Carnival, which launched in current-generation form in early 2015, is the market leader with 1212 new registrations year-to-date, accounting for a significant 54.8 per cent slice.

A new-generation Carnival is also in the works, which will be revealed later this year and has already been caught testing in Australia, and could gain a four-seat option for the high-end executive market.

Honda Australia also recently announced it will pivot to an agency sales model and significantly decrease its dealer footprint and halve its sales volume by the end of 2021.

Though Honda also announced the discontinuation of the Jazz light car at the same time, it reaffirmed its commitment to sell the Odyssey alongside the Civic, HR-V, CR-V and Accord.