Image: BrokenSphere, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. The original Honda Element (2003–2011), pictured here as a 2008 model. The reported revival is a new vehicle, not a reissue of this design.
Automotive News reported this week, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the plan, that Honda will begin production of a second-generation Element in the second quarter of 2029 at its Ohio plant, arriving as a 2030 model year vehicle. The report describes it as a hybrid crossover positioned between the HR-V and CR-V in Honda's lineup, with an internal target near 100,000 units a year — within roughly 35,000 units of current Ford Bronco Sport sales, per the same report. Honda has not officially confirmed any of this. Motor1, June 2026 · The Drive, June 2026
The original Element ran from 2003 to 2011 and was never a sales hit, but it became a cult favourite for design choices that were unusual at the time: no center B-pillar, rear-hinged “clamshell” rear doors, a washable rubberized floor, and seats that flipped flat or out entirely. It was aimed at an active, gear-hauling buyer — closer to a dorm room on wheels than a family SUV.
What's confirmed vs. what's speculation
- Confirmed: Nothing, officially. This is a trade-press report based on unnamed sources, not a Honda press release or Honda Canada statement.
- Reported (Automotive News, unconfirmed): Production start Q2 2029, Ohio plant, 2030 model year, hybrid powertrain, slotted between HR-V and CR-V, ~100,000 units/year target.
- Not reported anywhere credible: Pricing, trim names, exact specs, styling, or any Canadian availability or timing.
Why now — the actual mechanism, not nostalgia
This isn't really a nostalgia play, it's a segment-gap play. Honda's Canadian lineup currently jumps from the HR-V (subcompact) to the CR-V (compact) with nothing boxy or utility-first in between. Meanwhile Ford's Bronco Sport, Toyota's Corolla Cross and the revived demand for squared-off, function-first SUVs (the same wave that's helped push current Passport TrailSport demand past supply on our own lot) shows there's real buyer appetite for a vehicle that prioritizes cargo space and ground clearance over curb appeal. A revived Element, if real, is Honda filling that gap with a name that already has built-in recognition rather than launching an unproven nameplate.
The hybrid-only detail tracks with everything else Honda's been saying. Honda Canada has been explicit about steering new launches toward hybrid powertrains rather than full EVs for the next several years. A new nameplate launching as a hybrid, not an EV, is consistent with that strategy — it's the one part of this report that doesn't require much speculation to believe.
Where the report gets shaky
A ~100,000-unit annual target, if accurate, is a big number for a brand-new segment entry. The report itself frames it against Ford Bronco Sport volume, not Honda's own lineup — and Bronco Sport sales are a US figure, not a Canadian one, so it doesn't tell us anything about Canadian demand specifically. Numbers that specific, attributed to anonymous sources four years before launch, are the part of this story most likely to shift or simply not materialize as stated — production targets set this far out routinely move.
There is zero Canadian-specific information here. No Honda Canada confirmation, no pricing, no trims, no timing for our market specifically. Anyone telling you what an Element will cost or when it lands in a Canadian showroom right now is guessing, full stop.
My prediction: If this report is accurate, Honda Canada will bring the revived Element here once it launches, because both the HR-V and CR-V sell well in this market and a vehicle slotted directly between them fills a real gap rather than cannibalizing an underperformer. By the time it's actually on sale (2030 model year), it will be cross-shopped locally against the Bronco Sport, the Subaru Crosstrek, and the Toyota Corolla Cross — vehicles in its actual size and price class — not against larger, pricier off-roaders. I'd expect the first real confirmation from Honda itself, not anonymous sourcing, sometime in 2027 or 2028 as the Ohio production timeline firms up.
If you're shopping right now: This changes nothing about a 2026 purchase decision — it's an unconfirmed report about a vehicle four years from production. If you specifically want a boxy, utility-first Honda today, the Passport TrailSport is the closest thing currently on a Canadian lot, and it's been selling out faster than we can get it in.
Want something boxy and function-first today?
The Passport TrailSport is the closest thing on a Canadian Honda lot to what the Element revival is reportedly chasing — and it's here now, not 2030.