Do You Believe In Magic?
April, 1998 -- Honda's new minivan, as yet unnamed, made an appearance amidst the glamour of a magic show. Touted as the "biggest Honda ever," the minivan is over 200 inches long and over 68 inches wide. The interior is much larger than the current Odyssey, though specifications are not yet available. This minivan is also powered by the most powerful V6 engine in its class, which was borrowed from the Accord.
But the Accord had little to do with the rest of the vehicle. The fully-independent suspension is new, and the platform is altogether much larger than an Accord. "We made that mistake before with the Odyssey, which was too small," said a Honda executive.
EX and LX trims will be available initially, with a possible DX base trim coming later. According to Honda executive vice president Dick Colliver, the top-of-the-line EX, fully loaded, will cost between $25,000 and $26,000.
A sunroof, or leather interior options will not be available immediately.
Standard equipment for both trim levels include 16" wheels, anti-lock brakes, nine (usable) cupholders, dual sliding rear passenger doors, headrests for all seven seating positions, and a "magic" fold-away rear bench seat. The "magic" seat is truly a marvel of engineering. The floorpan is designed to accommodate the rear seat, which sits flush with the floor when folded away. The spare tire is located amidships, under the vehicle, and can be accessed from inside.
Dual power sliding doors are standard on the EX trim, and they can be activated by controls on the dash, the key fob, or by tugging the door handles.
The unnamed magic van will be produced at Honda of Canada Manufacturing, a new plant in Alliston, Ontario. Sales for the first year are anticipated at 60,000, and the plant capacity is 120,000 units, which will soon be expanded to 150,000 units. Honda is taking direct aim at Chrysler, the minivan king, with this new large minivan. Colliver stated that the two most common trade-in vehicles for Chrysler minivans are the Accord and the Civic, so Honda is hoping that this minivan will give loyal Honda owners an "inside" alternative when looking for family-haulers.
Can Honda threaten Chrysler's lead in the minivan segment? If they can, we wouldn't call it magic.
April, 1998 -- Honda's new minivan, as yet unnamed, made an appearance amidst the glamour of a magic show. Touted as the "biggest Honda ever," the minivan is over 200 inches long and over 68 inches wide. The interior is much larger than the current Odyssey, though specifications are not yet available. This minivan is also powered by the most powerful V6 engine in its class, which was borrowed from the Accord.
But the Accord had little to do with the rest of the vehicle. The fully-independent suspension is new, and the platform is altogether much larger than an Accord. "We made that mistake before with the Odyssey, which was too small," said a Honda executive.
EX and LX trims will be available initially, with a possible DX base trim coming later. According to Honda executive vice president Dick Colliver, the top-of-the-line EX, fully loaded, will cost between $25,000 and $26,000.
A sunroof, or leather interior options will not be available immediately.
Standard equipment for both trim levels include 16" wheels, anti-lock brakes, nine (usable) cupholders, dual sliding rear passenger doors, headrests for all seven seating positions, and a "magic" fold-away rear bench seat. The "magic" seat is truly a marvel of engineering. The floorpan is designed to accommodate the rear seat, which sits flush with the floor when folded away. The spare tire is located amidships, under the vehicle, and can be accessed from inside.
Dual power sliding doors are standard on the EX trim, and they can be activated by controls on the dash, the key fob, or by tugging the door handles.
The unnamed magic van will be produced at Honda of Canada Manufacturing, a new plant in Alliston, Ontario. Sales for the first year are anticipated at 60,000, and the plant capacity is 120,000 units, which will soon be expanded to 150,000 units. Honda is taking direct aim at Chrysler, the minivan king, with this new large minivan. Colliver stated that the two most common trade-in vehicles for Chrysler minivans are the Accord and the Civic, so Honda is hoping that this minivan will give loyal Honda owners an "inside" alternative when looking for family-haulers.
Can Honda threaten Chrysler's lead in the minivan segment? If they can, we wouldn't call it magic.
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