Honda Odyssey Moved to 2022 Model Year for Weird Reason
Believe it or not, the Honda Odyssey has just become the first 2022 model-year vehicle to go on sale in Canada. And we’re barely three weeks into 2021. What gives?
First of all, in case you forgot, Honda’s minivan is fresh off of a mid-cycle update that included various cosmetic revisions, interior tweaks to make life easier for occupants and some minor equipment changes.
But if you go to Honda Canada’s website now, you’ll see the Odyssey as a 2022 model instead of a 2021. So, did it just receive another important update?
As a matter of fact, no. The only change is this one: the HondaVAC built-in vacuum cleaning system is no longer offered on any trim. Apparently, there were supplier issues.
Is that a reason to push a 2021 model to 2022 already, though? Seriously, we’re talking about a single feature—and a pretty non-essential one, too—not the engine or some other key component of the vehicle.
A Honda spokesman has told Motor1 that the loss of the vacuum cleaner is indeed the primary reason for advancing to the 2022 model year, but that other factors can affect model-year introductions. Yet he didn’t provide any further details.
The Car Guide contacted Honda Canada to get more answers, but we were told basically the same thing. Also, we don’t know whether the HondaVAC system will return in the future.