Confirmed: Honda Halts Element Production

Only a rumor last week, a certain fact today: Honda will kill the boxy Element, so 2011 is the last model year of production for the fairly unpopular model. In a press release through which Honda demonstrates its marketing skills - it manages to confirm that it kills Element but without providing a reason for it, despite writing more than three paragraphs - the company confirmed that the 9-year old model will be discontinued at the end of this year.

"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."

The real reason behind this is, according to sales figures Honda has posted in the last years, the very low sales the model has recorded since its launch. In fact, the Japanese manufacturer even confirmed in a press statement that the company has delivered more than 325,000 Elements since its introduction in December 2002.

Just as we told you last week when the first rumor that Honda might be killing the Element reached our ears, only 12,960 buyers chose the Element in the first eleven months of the year, while Honda Accord, the company's best-selling model, attracted a total of 279,000 people in the same period. In the US, Honda sold a total of 939 Elements in November 2010, down from 1,017 units in the same month of the previous year.

"Developed from the inside-out, the Honda Element entered new territory when it debuted during the 2003 model year by providing a multi-functional cargo area, innovative and versatile seating, a durable and dirt-friendly interior, energetic performance and outstanding value," Honda said in the press statement through which it did nothing than to praise the now-dead model.