Honda confirms next-gen Odyssey

HONDA has confirmed its Odyssey people-mover will be replaced by a new-generation model in Australia early next year.

Honda Australia public relations manager Melissa Cross told GoAuto that an all-new Odyssey would go on sale locally in the first quarter of 2014, replacing the current seven-seat MPV that has been on the market since 2009.

While Ms Cross could not confirm details about the dimensions or specification levels that will be offered, she did say there would be “significant changes from the current Odyssey”.

What is confirmed, however, is that the 2014 Odyssey will get a new powertrain, with an all-new engine and transmission set to replace the 132kW/218Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and five-speed automatic transmission from the current model.

Honda has not confirmed when the new Odyssey will be revealed, although its Australian schedule points to a Tokyo motor show debut in November.

The redesigned people-mover is expected to improve on everything from efficiency and performance to technology and space, while its styling could take cues from a number of recent concept cars, including the near-production Jade that debuted at the Shanghai motor show in April.

The Jade features Honda’s current corporate face and is far more production-oriented than the radical-looking 2012 Concept S shown a year earlier in Beijing.

However, the Jade could end up being a model specifically designed for the Chinese market.

Honda revealed a second MPV concept at Shanghai – the Concept M – that the Japanese car-maker also said was developed mainly for the Chinese market.

The M features a much more slab-sided, high-riding design than the smoother, more car-like Jade.

Despite overall sales in the people-mover segment being down by around 16 per cent in Australia this year, a number of rival car-makers have launched new MPVs in recent months, including Peugeot’s 5008 and the Kia Rondo compact people-mover.

The Odyssey will not be the only new arrival in the segment in 2014, with Kia expected to launch a completely new version of its ageing Carnival seven-seater later in the year, while Citroen’s Grand C4 Picasso looks set for a local berth in the first half.