It's that time of the year when Honda issues their model change summary for the upcoming model year. It usually happens in mid-July and this year is no different.

We will post the full document here shortly, but first, the big news for Honda enthusiasts is that Honda has pulled the plug on the 6-Speed option for the Accord. This comes as little surprise, but it's still a shame with all things being considered. Even if you had wanted to buy an Accord Sport with a 6-speed (which was only offered in the Sport trim, 1.5 or 2.0), they were next to impossible to locate in the first place, so it seemed pretty clear that Honda didn't have much interest in selling them in the first place.

Secondly, 2020 is the last model year for the Civic Si in the current generation. The Civic Si will return in sedan form only for the 11th generation Civic lineup. 2020 is also the final year for the Civic Coupe, period.

Third, as we had previously suggested, there will be no next-generation Fit sold in the US market.

Finally, the Odyssey is getting an MMC, albeit a pretty mild one. In addition to a new Rear-Seat Reminder system designed to prompt drivers to check their rear seating area before exiting the vehicle, there are some new wheels and mild interior revisions.

With Honda discontinuing the Civic Coupe and Fit, hopefully they're making room in the showrooms for the triumphant return of a ruggedized and highly capable next-generation Element (with MANUAL TRANSMISSION OPTIONS‼️).

Honda: What�s New for 2021

7.16.20

BRAND
For 2021 and beyond, Honda is creating a stronger, more focused lineup to meet changing customer preferences for both passenger cars and light trucks. Model-year 2021 changes include a mid-cycle refresh of the Odyssey and updates for Pilot, Insight and HR-V. And while details on the 2021 Accord and Ridgeline will be announced later, we provide a look here at the brand�s upcoming top performance car�the ultimate street-legal, track-focused Civic Type R Limited Edition which arrives later this year.

Importantly, Honda�s broad spectrum of contemporary, fun-to-drive vehicles yields the highest fleet average fuel economy and lowest CO2 emissions of any major full-line automaker according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. From a safety perspective, Honda continues its commitment to achieving outstanding safety performance in every model while continuing to expand availability of safety features such as those included in the Honda Sensing� suite as standard equipment across the lineup.

As Honda pursues increased sales of light trucks in alignment with broad market trends, concentrating on segment favorites HR-V, CR-V, Passport, Pilot, Ridgeline and Odyssey, the company remains committed to passenger cars as a volume pillar in the Honda lineup.

With Civic buyers, particularly younger buyers, increasingly gravitating toward Civic Hatchback, and a general decline in coupe sales across the industry, Honda will conclude production of Civic Coupe at the end of the 2020 model year. In its place, Civic Hatchback will assume the position of the sporty and personal choice in the Civic lineup. Civic Hatchback has gained tremendously in popularity in recent years, growing to 24 percent of overall Civic sales mix since its 2016 introduction. Over the same time period, sales of Civic Coupe have dropped from 16 percent of Civic sales mix to just 6 percent.

Looking into the future, Honda will focus the Civic line-up in North America on the sporty and refined Civic Sedan and Hatchback, the performance-focused Civic Si, and the pinnacle performance model in Honda�s lineup�Civic Type R.

Honda will also conclude production of Fit for North American markets at the end of the 2020 model year. Since Honda introduced the first generation Fit in 2006, the market has evolved. HR-V and Civic Hatchback have become the new gateway models for the Honda brand, offering significant utility, performance and value. Today, Civic Hatchback outsells Fit almost 2-to-1, while HR-V also has experienced substantial organic growth, with a 19 percent gain in 2019.

With the phasing out of Fit and Civic Coupe, Honda is increasing its investment in the Civic Hatchback and HR-V, increasing production of HR-V and localizing production of the next-generation Civic Hatchback in North America at Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (the current Hatchback is produced at Honda of the UK Manufacturing�s Swindon plant).

LINEUP OVERVIEW

Mid-Cycle Refresh

2021 Odyssey (on sale early August)

Product Updates and Special Editions

2021 Insight (on sale May 2020)
2021 Pilot (on sale June 2020)
2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition (on sale later this year)
2021 HR-V (on sale later this year)

Carryover

2021 Civic Sedan (on sale later this year)
2021 Civic Hatchback and Type R (on sale later this year)
2021 Clarity PHEV (on sale later this year)
2021 Clarity Fuel Cell (on sale later this year)
2021 Passport (on sale later this year)
2021 CR-V and CR-V Hybrid (on sale later this year)

To Be Announced

Accord and Accord Hybrid
Ridgeline
An all-new 11th generation Civic sedan is scheduled to debut in late spring, 2021. We will provide more details closer to that time.

Discontinued

Fit (at conclusion of 2020 model year)
Civic Coupe (at conclusion of 2020 model year)

Civic Si

Civic Si production in Canada will pause at the conclusion of the 2020 model year as the company transitions to an all-new 11th-generation Civic lineup, including a new Civic Si Sedan.

SUMMARY OF CHANGES BY MODEL

Mid-Cycle Refresh
2021 Odyssey � On sale early August
PHOTOS and VIDEO available with release

All 2021 Odysseys receive a new Rear-Seat Reminder system designed to prompt drivers to check their rear seating area before exiting the vehicle, with a warning message in the driver�s display and an audible alert. On Touring and Elite trims, the system uses the CabinWatch camera to display the rear seating area on the Display Audio screen, the first integration of a rear-seat camera with a rear-seat reminder system in the industry.
Styling upgrades include more powerful LED headlights, a redesigned blackout grille topped by a chrome strip and a redesigned lower front fascia.
In the back, there�s a new gloss-black trim panel under the rear window accented by a chrome strip, echoing the new grille treatment.
Odyssey Elite receives newly designed 19-inch alloy wheels and auto-dimming side mirrors.
Interior changes include:
- Second-row seatbacks that nearly fold flat for easier seat removal
- EX and higher trims get new tri-color floor mats and illuminated USB ports.
- EX-L and higher receive restyled seats with contrast stitching, power lumbar support for the front passenger seat, and second row seatback pockets.
- Touring and Elite add new piano black trim on the dash, doors and front door handles.
- The line-topping Elite receives perforated leather for the first and second row seats, with contrast stitching and piping on all three rows. Elite also features exclusive dash trim and second-row seatback pockets.
All 2021 Odysseys will come standard with the Honda Sensing�, previously standard on EX and above trims. Honda Sensing� is enhanced with new features for 2021, including the addition of Low-Speed Follow to the Adaptive Cruise Control, Pedestrian Emergency Braking and Traffic Sign Recognition.

Product Updates and Special Editions
2021 Insight � On sale May 12, 2020
PHOTOS available now

Blind spot information (BSI) replaces LaneWatch� on EX & Touring
Cross Traffic Monitor added; standard on EX and Touring
New Radiant Red Metallic exterior color

2021 Pilot � On sale June 22, 2020
PHOTOS available now

New Special Edition trim slots between the EX-L and Touring trims in the Pilot lineup and adds the following features to EX-L base:

20-inch black wheels
Black roof rails, grille, front & rear skid garnishes
Handsfree power tailgate
Wireless phone charging
Special Edition badges on front fenders

All trims:
- 9-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters and Idle Stop now standard (previously 6AT with no paddle shifters or Idle Stop for LX, EX and EX-L trims and 9AT with paddle shifters and Idle Stop for Touring and Touring Elite trims)
- Dual-zone automatic climate control now standard on all trims (previously EX and above)
Black Edition trim adds available new Platinum White Pearl exterior color

2021 Civic Type R Limited Edition � On sale later this year
PHOTOS and VIDEO � Some photos available now; more photos plus video at launch timing

Limited to 600 units for the U.S. market, with individually-numbered serial plates
Exclusive Phoenix Yellow Pearl exterior color
Gloss black roof panel, exterior mirrors and hood intake vent
Lightweight forged aluminum BBS wheels reduce total unsprung weight 18 lbs.
Michelin Sport Cup 2 high-performance tires
Reduced sound deadening materials and removal of rear wiper, tonneau cover and rear heater ducts further reduce weight by 28 lbs.
Specially tuned dampers recalibrated for the Limited Edition�s unique tire and wheel package
Recalibrated steering for finer control and feedback
Carries forward 2020 model-year updates to Type R, including standard Honda Sensing�, freshened front and rear styling, a larger grille and redesigned radiator for improved engine cooling, an Alcantara�-wrapped steering wheel, and restyled and weighted shift knob

2021 HR-V � On sale later this year
PHOTOS available at on-sale

New wheels for Sport and above trims
Add rear privacy glass to Sport trims

To Be Announced
2021 Accord � On-sale later this year
PHOTOS and VIDEO available at on-sale
Details TBA

2021 Ridgeline � On sale later this year
PHOTOS and VIDEO available at on-sale
Details TBA

ADDITIONAL LINEUP CHANGES

Accord Manual Transmission Variants
In December 2019, Honda concluded production of manual transmission-equipped Accord models. Manual transmissions represented only 1-2 percent of total Accord sales over the past several years, reflecting customers� increased preference for automatic transmission models. The 10-speed automatic transmission mated to the 2.0 Turbo engine option continues to deliver driving enjoyment that few, if any, mainstream sedan competitors can match.

Manual transmissions will remain an important part of the Honda lineup, currently available in Civic Sedan, Hatchback, Si and Type R. Enthusiast consumers have long reaped the rewards of this commitment and those buyers helped make Honda the retail No. 1 manual transmission brand in America in 2019.