Get ready, America: Honda will start shipping its midsize Stream minivan to the US starting in 2009, according to a source familiar with the program.

Honda might have the Odyssey as arguably the best minivan in the U.S., but Honda product planners also see a niche for a smaller model that’s also less pricey and gets better fuel mileage.

Honda first launched the Stream as a stylish, compact, three-row minivan in Japan back in 2000 and scored a monster hit. Underneath, it shares architecture with the CR-V and Civic.

When the Stream was redesigned in Japan last summer, the same compact, seven/eight-seat people moving formula carried over. However, while the driving dynamics definitely improved, the Stream’s stylistic redesign has met with mixed reviews and sales to date have been low-key.

Undeterred, Honda will relaunch an updated version of the Stream in the US for ‘09 , says our source, but only a two-row version will be coming. Also, it’s too early to know yet whether the States will get both the 1.8 and 2.0-liter gas engines from the Japanese Stream, or perhaps something else. Will the Stream arrive with optional all-wheel drive, as available in its home market? All will be revealed in time.