Honda is abandoning the Accord model, and indeed the entire segment, in Europe.
Sold as the Acura TSX in the US, the European-market Accord provided a sprightlier alternative to the bread-and-butter family sedan sold by American Honda. However, with the next TSX being merged with the once-larger Acura TL to create the TLX, there is nothing in the global Honda portfolio to fill the void.
That’s just as well, says Leon Brannan, head of autos at Honda UK, who spoke to Automotive News Europe. “We are running out the Accord and we will not return to the segment,” he confirmed.
In fact, the article reports, the trend in Europe is shifting towards the luxury end of the market. Sales of mainstream mid-sized sedans like the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat are suffering as buyers look to premium offerings like the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class.
Incidentally, both the European- and US-spec Accord are sold alongside each other in Honda’s home market of Japan. The European version gets to hold onto the Accord name, while the American model is called the Inspire. Regional differentiation in the Accord model line began in 1998.