TOKYO, Aug 13 — Yesterday, Honda announced that the Odyssey minivan will celebrate its 25-year anniversary this year. In honour of this milestone, the company announced that all new Odysseys will come standard with 10-speed automatic transmission and Idle Stop, features previously only available on the upper-tier models.

For over a third of its lifetime, the Honda Odyssey has been the top-selling minivan in the US. To celebrate this and its 25-year anniversary, Honda announced that not only will a special edition accessory package launch with the 2020 models, the entire lineup will be getting a series of standard updates.

Starting with the 2020 generation, all Odyssey minivans will come equipped with 10-speed automatic transmission as well as Idle Stop technology. Previously, only the Touring and Elite trims had both of these specs, and the LX, EX, and EX-L lacked Idle Stop and had 9-speed automatic transmissions.

As part of an opt-in special 25th Anniversary Package, Honda has refinished a series of exterior details in chrome including the roof rack, body side mouldings, and rear bumper protector. Special 25th Anniversary badges can be found on the exterior and a set of 19-inch wheels are optional with the package.

The 2020 Odyssey will be hitting dealerships today along with the 25th Anniversary Package. If the optional wheels are included, the package adds US$2,800 (RM11,765) to the final price. — AFP-Relaxnews