The move will give the company more room at its US factories to focus on truck and crossover production. Strong demand is expected to require additional production capacity for the recently refreshed CR-V, the all-new HR-V, the new 2016 Pilot and the next-generation Ridgeline.
Introduced in 2010 as an alternative option for crossover buyers, the Crosstour has struggled to maintain sales volume entering 2015. March numbers were down by 27 percent, and year-to-date shipments have fallen by 38 percent to 2,046 units.
Honda blames the lackluster sales on the evolving tastes of crossover buyers, but the company expects the HR-V to easily exceed the Crosstour’s performance and serve as a gateway model to the brand.
The company is also planning on shifting Accord Hybrid production from the Marysville, Ohio, factory to its Samaya plant in Japan, further opening up line space to build new crossovers and trucks.
The automaker points out that 97 percent of its Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the US market were built in North America.
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