The UFA Files-part 1

First off, allow me to apologize for the bad title. Usually my standards are a little higher but I really couldn't think of anything."UFA" stands for "Unobtainable Foreign Autos". this will be an ongoing feature exposing cars that aren't sold (legally) in the USA, hence the "Unobtainable" part.

HONDA AVANCIER

Our first installment of The UFA Files will examine the Honda Avancier. Classy-sounding name.According to Wiktionary, it's a French word meaning "to advance"(when Honda introduced the Avancier in 1999, it probably was pretty "advanced").However,there was nothing French about it. It was made in Japan, and only distributed in that country as well.
Since it was based on the Accord, it was understandable that the Avancier was considered "mid-sized" and due to its wagonesque styling, was classified as a "crossover". Many vehicles in Japan are mini-cars,micro-trucks, and tiny, boxy vans.A mid-sized car like the Avancier would almost look upscale and semi-luxurious in that market.Most-likely, its target demographic would have been businessmen with families who needed extra room and wanted a more "professional" look.
From the front, there was no doubt that this was a Honda, but the back could fool a few people. The rear styling almost hinted at a slight Saab or Subaru influence. There were some akward-looking angles in the rear,typical of crossover vehicles, but Honda kept the styling as proportionate as possible,and in many ways succeeded to make it look nice.
Buyers could choose between a 4 cylinder or 6 cylinder engine, but had to settle for an automatic transmission.Manual transmissions were not offered.There was even an all-wheel-drive version, yet, no stick-shift. One can certaintly wonder if sales may have improved had Honda offered one, as well as Left-hand-drive versions to be exported outside of Japan.Understandably,it may not have worked in the US, since the comparable Accord wagon was recently dropped and there may not have been room in the North American lineup where it would have fit in, but there were other countries in which Honda probably could have hypothetically tried to sell it.
Honda discontinued the Avancier in 2003, citing poor sales. In Japan, most cars don't survive for more than 10-12 years or so before being recycled or exported to other countries (usually other Right-hand-drive markets).Now that the newest Avanciers will be 10 years old this year, expect to see them almost entirely disappear from the streets of Japan soon.Some now reside in New Zealand, a common destination for secondhand Japanese exports. Maybe enough will end up there for the Avancier to get some respect.In Japan, they will probably be largely forgotten.A sad end for a nice-enough car that never had a chance to reach its full potential.