New 2011 Honda Odyssey to Make Canadian Debut At Georgian College Auto Show

All-new minivan features dynamic styling with over 50 new features,
added functionality, and improved fuel economy with reduced pricing

TORONTO, Sept. 22 /CNW/ - The all-new 2011 Honda Odyssey minivan makes its Canadian debut this week at the 25^th annual Georgian College Auto Show at its Barrie campus. The Odyssey, set to go on sale October 22 with a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,990, will be on display at the Honda exhibit starting this Friday.  The show will be open this Friday, September 24, from 12 noon to 6 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26, from 10 am to 6 pm on both days.

The completely redesigned Odyssey improves for 2011 with greater interior functionality, a more distinctive style and improved fuel economy. Across all available models - the Odyssey LX, EX, EX-RES, EX-L and the fully-equipped Touring - more than 50 standard and available features have been added to enhance comfort, convenience, class-leading fuel efficiency and travel fun.

"The all-new Odyssey is set to once again redefine the minivan segment as the benchmark of minivans," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president of Honda Canada Inc. "Never before has so much space, functionality and comfort been combined with this much style, safety, advanced technology and fuel economy all in a fun-to-drive package.

With an MSRP of $29,990, the new entry-level Odyssey LX includes a surprising range of features with even more content than the current entry-level trim.  "This is a dramatic value improvement for Canadian consumers," said Chenkin.  Standard features on the LX include 8-way power driver seat, privacy tinted glass, battery management system, tire pressure monitoring system, vehicle stability assist with traction control, remote entry system, and Variable Cylinder Management for improved fuel economy.

Significant improvements for convenience include a new "3-mode" second-row seat design that expands laterally, along with a simpler-to-operate, one-motion, 60/40 split 3^rd-row Magic Seat®. The "3-mode" second row is designed to better accommodate three passengers with improved comfort, and the new "wide mode" supports third-row pass-through access from the side with as many as two child seats in place in the second row. The third row provides improved legroom, along with better sight lines out of the side windows, which is a functional improvement resulting from the exterior's signature "lightning-bolt" belt line.

Dramatic new styling creates a more dynamic appearance with the introduction of a tapered cabin and the "lightning bolt" belt line which improves the outward view for third-row passengers. The body's enhanced aerodynamic shape along with engineering improvements throughout the vehicle contribute to a class-leading fuel-economy rating of 10.9/7.1 L/100km (city/highway) on the Odyssey Touring.

A more powerful and efficient 3.5-litre i-VTEC V-6 engine features VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) - standard on all models for 2011 - and produces 248 horsepower, an increase of 4 horsepower over the 2010 Odyssey. For enhanced driving refinement on Odyssey Touring models, a six-speed automatic transmission debuts as a standard feature. All other models receive the five-speed automatic transmission.

New technology available on the Touring model includes a rear entertainment system with a 16.2-inch ultrawide split-screen display with an auxiliary High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) video input; Blind Spot Indicators; a 15GB memory Hard Disk Drive audio storage; trilingual voice recognition (English, French and Spanish) on the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System; and more. Thoughtful features have been added throughout the model lineup such as the available cool box, a front bag hook, available flip-up trash bag ring and more. Popular features like the available back-up camera and available conversation mirror continue to be offered.

An extensive list of safety equipment comes standard on every Odyssey. The Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure is a Honda-exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal collisions. Additional standard safety equipment includes Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), commonly referred to as electronic stability control; anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist; three-row side-curtain airbags with a rollover sensor; driver's and front passenger's side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; and active front seat head restraints.

Now in its 41st year of operation in Canada, Honda Canada Inc. has sold more than 3,375,000 Honda and Acura passenger cars and light-duty trucks in Canada.  A record high 91 per cent of the Honda and Acura vehicles sold in Canada in 2009 were produced at the company's assembly plants in North America, up nearly 3 per cent from 2008. Since 1986, Honda has built more than 5,400,000 cars and trucks at its assembly facilities in Alliston, Ontario.  More than half of all vehicles sold in Canada last year were also made in Canada.

For further information:

Richard Jacobs [phone]