Some car manufacturers would be pleased with a 2.5 percent market share. Not Honda. It will stop making the Element crossover after the 2011 model year because of diminishing sales.
The box-shaped Element was introduced in the U.S. in December 2002 and more than 325,000 been purchased, according to the manufacturer.
But sales of the versatile SUV crossover have steadily slipped while sales of its sibling, the CR-V, have increased. Honda also makes a large SUV, the Pilot.
The Element accounted for nearly 10 percent of all crossover sales in the United States 2003. But the Element has accounted for only 2.5 percent of the crossover sales in 2010, according to Edmunds.com.
Compared to last year, Element sales are down four percent, while CR-V sales are up four percent. Overall, sales of crossovers are up 18 percent, according to Autodata Corp.
Article Last Updated: December 3, 2010.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
It's a nicely built and fun vehicle, but only seats 4. They really should have listened to potential buyers and made a seat for 3 in the back. I found a number of people in online forums and even at the dealership that found this disappointing. It's the only thing that stopped us from buying one.
I was planning on driving Honda Elements the rest of my life. A wonderful automobile that’s fun to drive and explore in. I really hope that they bring it back.