Somewhere between the sedan you drive and the crossover you didn’t want to buy, a market gap has been quietly widening for years. The Subaru Outback once lived there — a wagon with rugged sensibility, priced like a practical choice. Now it starts at $36,445, comes in a Wilderness trim, and leans hard into SUV territory. According to internal planning documents reviewed by Automotive News, Honda has been exploring something to fill that void: a lifted, hatchback-style Accord with higher ground clearance, a bigger rear hatch, and larger wheels, reportedly targeting production around mid-2029 at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio plant. Honda, however, told Car and Driver: “This information is not based on any announcements from Honda. We have no plans to make this type of vehicle.” That contradiction is worth examining closely.
What the Documents Reportedly Show
A raised wagon by another name — if the planning documents are to be believed.
An Automotive News reporter described the concept as “somewhere between a lifted sedan hatchback and a wagon,” aimed at shoppers who “want the price of a sedan, but maybe they want the higher ride height or the cargo flexibility of a crossover.” Per the reporting, key details allegedly include:
- Production start around mid-2029, reportedly at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio plant
- Lifted Accord hatchback body with increased ground clearance, larger wheels, and an expanded cargo area
- Next-generation hybrid powertrain, part of Honda’s push toward 15 hybrid models globally by March 2030
- Honda’s official position: no such planning documents exist
Pricing for a hypothetical Accord SUV has not been reported. Based on the current Accord sedan’s starting MSRP of approximately $28,395 and the Outback’s from $36,445, analysts infer it would slot above the Accord sedan — though that remains speculation, not reported fact.
The Crosstour Problem
Honda tried this before, and it did not go well.
Honda attempted a closely related concept once already. The Accord Crosstour launched for the 2010 model year — sharing the Accord’s platform, riding higher, and wearing a fastback tail — and quietly exited after 2015, the victim of polarizing styling and a market that hadn’t yet fully embraced the raised-wagon format. Crossover demand has grown substantially since then. Commentators now suggest a cleaner execution, clearly positioned as a hybrid adventure wagon rather than a niche oddity, might resonate more effectively today. Internal planning documents, though, get revised or canceled with regularity.
“This information is not based on any announcements from Honda. We have no plans to make this type of vehicle.” — Honda, to Car and Driver
What to Actually Make of This
Credible sourcing, a firm denial, and a product timeline already in flux make this a story worth watching — not banking on.
Automotive News obtained planning documents and spoke with a person familiar with the program — a respected trade outlet doing credible work, subsequently echoed by Car and Driver, Motor1, and Jalopnik. Context matters, though. Honda has already pushed the next full Accord redesign to around 2030, extending the current 11th-generation car in the meantime. The company is simultaneously moving toward hybrid-first powertrains across its lineup ahead of that same deadline — a trajectory an Accord SUV would fit neatly. Whether any approved version exists behind Honda’s denial remains an open question.
If the Outback’s drift away from its wagon roots has left you searching for an alternative, Honda may eventually offer an answer. Spy shots — or their absence — around 2028 or so will tell the real story about what’s worth waiting for.
