Honda Patents Suggest a Potential Element SUV Revival.

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Two Honda patents recently published show a pair of rugged and usable vehicles that emulate the boxiness of the Element, last built in 2011.

• Two patents from Honda suggest the automaker is weighing a boxy, off-road-oriented vehicle.
• One shows a squared-off SUV that clearly looks inspired by the Honda Element, produced from 2003 to 2011.
• The other patent features a compact pickup truck with a movable divider.

The Honda Element may look a bit dorky with its upright stance and expansive plastic bodywork, but the SUV’s boxy and adventurous look was ahead of the curve. While it only lasted for a single generation—sold from 2003 to 2011—the Element has developed a loyal following that lasts even more than a decade later.

We think the rise of electric powertrains would be a great opportunity to revive the Element. And a pair of patents filed by Honda hint that the automaker may just be considering a comeback.

Both patents were filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in December 2022 and published on June 27 of this year. One patent is for a camper attachment that latches onto the back and top of a vehicle and features a series of expandable extensions that look to roughly double the size of the vehicle.

While the camper looks cool and practical, what really caught our eye is the vehicle it is attached to, a boxy SUV with sizable ground clearance. The rectangular shape certainly has a hint of Element to it, but the similarity is most noticeable in the doors, with a smaller rear door that seems to open in the opposite direction to the front door. This setup, along with door handles that merge to form an ovoid housing, is a direct callback to the Element’s coach doors.

The other patent is for an adjustable cargo partition, depicted here in a compact pickup truck that we envision would compete with the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz. The divider can be set in two positions to change the length of the bed. Honda even suggests the roof could be extended when the divider is in its farthest-back position to provide more interior room. While this truck isn’t as clearly referential to the Element, it has a blocky, rugged look with an A-pillar that extends up and over into a pillar that sits independent of the cabin at the rear.

Sadly, it is likely that the designs we see in these patents will never reach production, both for the vehicles as well as the camper and partition inventions. Automaker often file patents that pique our interest but aren’t destined for the streets, like the eye-catching Cadillac coupe from 2017 that was revealed this year to be an internal design study. Still, we’re holding out a modicum of hope that Honda is at least weighing the possibility of a new Element or similar lifestyle vehicle.

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