Honda to Terminate Element Crossover Next Year, No Direct Successor Planned

The quirky-looking Honda Element will soon cease to be as the Japanese automaker has decided to retire the boxy crossover model with the funky rear suicide-style doors after the 2011MY, due to declining sales. There's no direct successor planned, though Honda may develop a new derivative of the CR-V to fill the gap in the near future.

First introduced in concept form as the Honda Model X at the 2001 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Element made its production debut at the end of 2002. Providing a multi-functional cargo area, versatile seating and a dirt-friendly interior with washable floors, the Element received several upgrades though the years, the most recent being a subtle facelift in late 2008.
"The Element proved that ultimate functionality can often come from thinking inside the box," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. "It made boxy vehicle designs cool, and Element owners continue to enjoy its unique styling and unmatched versatility."
Sales of the Element peaked in its first full year of production in 2003 when Honda sold close to 70,000 units, but dropped to under 15,000 last year. Overall, more than 325,000 Elements have been sold in the United States since its introduction in December 2002.

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2011 Acura TSX Sport Wagon Pricing Announced

Following on from the U.S. launch of the mildly refreshed 2011 TSX Sedan, Acura has released pricing for the new Sport Wagon model that goes on sale December 21. The North American version of the European Honda Accord Tourer will be available exclusively with the TSX's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine matched to a five-speed automatic transmission and a base price of $30,960.

When equipped with the available Technology Package, which includes among other features, an LED backlit full VGA navigation screen, a 60-gigabyte hard disk drive (HDD), and the ability to download 15-gigabytes of personal music to the HDD, the TSX Sport Wagon will have an MSRP of $34,610.

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Nissan and Mitsubishi Plan Deeper Ties, Expand OEM Projects

Japan's Nissan Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors today announced that they plan to deepen their business ties by establishing a new minicar joint venture in Japan and further expanding their OEM projects, to save costs and increase their competitiveness in the global car industry.
Under the new agreement, the automakers will build more cars for each other under what is known in the industry as an "original equipment manufacturer" or OEM partnership.

In particular, Nissan will provide a light van/wagon to Mitsubishi for the Japanese domestic market, while Mitsubishi will offer an SUV to Nissan for markets in the Middle East. In addition, discussions are ongoing for Nissan to provide Mitsubishi with upper-end segment models for the Japanese domestic market.

The two companies added that they are studying the establishment of a 50:50 joint venture for product planning and engineering of mini cars for the Japanese market, as well as the manufacture of the current generation of Nissan Navara pickup truck at Mitsubishi Motors' plant in Thailand.
Further down the line, the two companies said they are evaluating the manufacturing and engineering collaboration of a new generation one-ton pickup truck.

Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn said: "This agreement is important for Nissan as it supports our expansion in emerging markets, meets immediate capacity needs overseas, and enables us to grow our mini car business in Japan. Our relationship with Mitsubishi demonstrates the ability of the Renault-Nissan Alliance - with its network of global partnerships - to constantly evolve and create new win-win relationships with other companies in function of specific needs and shared objectives".

Mitsubishi Motors President Osamu Masuko said: "Amid the drastically changing economic and market environments, Mitsubishi Motors is in partnership with PSA Peugeot Citroën in the areas of SUVs and EVs, and is always searching for other optimal solutions suited for each area of our business. This agreement to expand our business cooperation with Nissan is founded on our good business relationship since 2003, through several OEM agreements of mini cars and commercial vehicles. I believe that the expansion of our OEM agreement will complement each others' regional characteristics and product lineup, and the one-ton pickup and mini car projects will be the best solution to strengthen each others' competitiveness".

2011 Chevrolet Cruze Hatchback: Production Version's Shape Trademarked

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show in early September, General Motors unveiled a near-production version of the Chevrolet Cruze five-door hatchback. Now, the Detroit automaker has registered trademark filings with the European patent office revealing the shape and details of the actual production model which is set to reach dealerships in Europe as a Chevrolet and in Australia as a Holden, in mid 2011.

The images here show that the production model wont' change much since we last saw it at the Paris Salon, with the most visible differences concerning the redesigned and less snazzy front bumper featuring round fog lights, and the smaller size alloy wheels. Though it can't be seen in these illustrations, also expect to see more conventional headlamps and tail lights.
At least in Europe, the 5-door model will most likely be available with same engine options as the regular Cruze, including 113-horsepower 1.6-liter and 141-horsepower 1.8-liter gasoline units, and a 123-horsepower 2.0-liter turbodiesel. There are no current plans to offer GM's Ford Focus hatchback contender in North America.

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