(April 9, 2015) Honda announced Wednesday that it will end production of the slow-selling Accord Crosstour at the end of the 2015 model year. There have been rumors that the Crosstour was on the chopping block because of slow to almost nonexistent sales. Honda said that terminating the Accord derivative will enable Honda to build more CR-V and Acura RDX crossovers at its East Liberty, Ohio, plant. Both are strong sellers for Honda.

"Honda's growth strategy in North America is keyed to aligning our product portfolio and related production around the needs of our customers and growth segments in the marketplace," said John Mendel, executive vice president, American Honda.

"This includes the fortification of our light truck line-up with the recent introduction of a refreshed version of America's best- selling SUV, the CR-V, as well as the all-new 2016 HR-V, a new 2016 Pilot, and the next generation Ridgeline truck, coming to market next year."

In February, Honda made moves in East Liberty that cast doubt on the Crosstour's fate announcing that the plant will soon add production of the Acura MDX crossover, which generates sales of about 5,000 a month and sells at higher prices.

Honda isn't the only Japanese automaker to halt production in the crossover sub-segment. Toyota has announced that it will halt production of the Venza, a wagon-style derivative of the Camry that competes directly with the Crosstour.

Mendel noted that "the strategy also includes strengthening our leading lineup of passenger cars with the introduction this fall of an all-new Civic lineup that will include more variants than ever before, including a new five-door model."

The Crosstour, introduced in 2010, was never a strong seller and in 2014 only 11,802 copies were sold.

Honda also announced that production of the Accord Hybrid will move from the Marysville (Ohio) Auto Plant to Honda's Sayama Plant in Japan to better optimize global production capabilities, enabling Marysville to focus on its significant role in producing popular models including the Honda Accord sedan and coupe and the Acura TLX and ILX performance sedans. ILX production began at Marysville in February.

Last year, more than 97 percent of the Honda and Acura vehicles sold in America were produced in North America.

Sources: American Honda, Automotive News