Just like Chrysler, Honda has ignored the memo regarding consumers' wholesale move away from minivans and towards three-row SUVs and so will be bringing an all-new, fifth-generation Odyssey to the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit on January 9.
And, because crossovers are continuing to eat into the sales of every other type of vehicle other than in the supercar market, Honda is promising that the new car will still be "the ultimate in family-friendly versatility and comfort." So much so, that as part of its pre-auto show teaser campaign, it's enlisted a group of children -- the Odyssey's true end user -- and asked them to sketch the car.
"We wanted to have a bit of fun by sharing some of the drawings from children of the Odyssey team members, since they were inspirational in shaping the family-friendly direction of the all-new Odyssey," said Chad Harrison, development lead on the new car.
But as well as a vehicle that focuses on the genuine needs of the average family, Honda says the car will be getting new powertrain technology (that could mean it's getting a hybrid option) and that it will be packed with advanced safety and connectivity technology.
Until Ford knocked all of the rugged edges off its Explorer in 1995, the minivan was the king of the road in North America. The only vehicle that challenged its supremacy was the pickup truck.
And while Chrysler can quite rightly claim to have brought the concept of the family car with a huge cavernous trunk and sliding doors to the masses in 1983 -- and to continue innovating in the area with the new Pacifica -- Honda can also claim to be the go-to brand when it comes to families looking for an incredibly practical minivan.
Since 2010, the Odyssey has been America's best-selling minivan -- despite the competition, the model has racked up a combined 2.5 million sales since it first went on sale in 1994.
What's more, even if the 2018 Odyssey ends up being the car's final generation, Honda has shown that it can take its minivan smarts and apply them to other vehicle shapes. The 2016 cars.com three-row SUV challenge -- a study designed to find out if a seven-seat SUV really can do everything that a minivan can -- found that the Honda Pilot ticks all of the boxes.
"It offers minivan practicality in a SUV body. The Pilot is packed with smartly designed family features, incredible attention to detail and all kinds of storage room and space for people and cargo," said Patrick Olsen, Cars.com editor-in-chief.
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