Honda commits to 2nd-gen Ridgeline

by  Richard Truett of www.autonews.com

Honda says it will launch an all-new second generation of the Ridgeline within two years -- ending speculation that it would give up on the pickup because of slow sales.

The redesigned Ridgeline, which is being developed in the United States, will be new from the wheels up and built at Honda's Lincoln, Ala., plant, home of the current model.

Honda plans to end production of the first-generation Ridgeline in June, leaving a gap in production. Depending on demand for the current model, dealers may run out of Ridgelines before the new one is available. But Honda spokesman Steve Kinkade said if that does happen, dealers will not be out of the truck for an extended period of time.

Honda did not release any technical details of the new Ridgeline or indicate whether it would be the same size as the current model. There's also no word on whether it will continue to be based on the Odyssey minivan platform or get unique underpinnings.

The Ridgeline, facing full-sized truck competitors from Ram, Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Toyota and Nissan, is the segment's lowest volume seller. Through November, Honda sold 16,160 Ridgelines, up 29 percent over the same period last year. The company recently introduced a special edition model for 2014.

Honda introduced the Ridgeline in 2005 and has sold 242,049 in the United States since its debut. It won North American Truck of the Year honors in 2006, partly due to its clever layout and innovative cargo stowage system. But its minivan-based underpinnings meant the Ridgeline could not tow and haul heavy loads like a conventional truck, and that may have limited its appeal.

Source;
http://www.autonews.com/article/20131216/OEM04/312169999/honda-commits-to-2nd-gen-ridgeline#

All-new Honda Ridgeline Pickup to Debut Within Two Years

12/10/2013 - TORRANCE, Calif.

• Design sketch reveals styling direction for Next-Gen Honda truck
• Current Ridgeline production will end mid-2014
• Sales of Ridgeline up 29 percent in 2013

An all-new Honda Ridgeline pickup truck will come to market in less than two years and, today, Honda shared a sketch expressing the new truck's styling direction. Honda also confirmed that production of the current Ridgeline (http://automobiles.honda.com/ridgeline/), built exclusively by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC, in Lincoln, Alabama, will conclude in mid-2014.

Like the innovative first-generation model that earned 2006 North American Truck of the Year and Motor Trend Truck of the Year honors after its fall 2005 debut, the next-gen Ridgeline is being designed and developed by Honda R&D Americas, Inc. at its Los Angeles and Ohio R&D centers.

The Honda Ridgeline broke new ground in the American pickup market with its unique design featuring a spacious five-passenger cabin, smooth ride and handling, and half-ton truck capability. The first truck of its kind to be built on a closed-box unibody platform, the Ridgeline introduced innovative new features to the pickup segment, such as its large In-Bed Trunk® and dual-action tailgate.

"The next generation Ridgeline will build on Honda's role in creating new value with a new take on advancing form and function in the truck segment," said Michael Accavitti, senior vice president of automobile operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "With a clear path forward, Ridgeline will play an even more important role in our future product portfolio and strengthen an already class-leading lineup of light trucks."

Sales of Ridgeline have enjoyed strong momentum in 2013, strengthened recently by the introduction of a new top-of-the-line Special Edition model for 2014, with sales totaling 16,160 units through the first 11 months of the year, an increase of 29 percent. 

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/all-new-honda-ridgeline-pickup-to-debut-within-two-years

Ward's Auto: Honda Ridgeline to Take Nearly 2-Year Hiatus

Not too sure what to think about this one, I've personally heard that Honda would continue with the truck until the next one comes out, it would just be called something like the Ridgeline Classic....

The current-generation compact pickup is expected to end production in September 2014, with a new model not launching until 2016.

by Christie Schweinsberg | WardsAuto

Honda will pull the plug on its current-generation Ridgeline compact pickup earlier than expected, according to the most recent WardsAuto/Automotive Compass forecast.

Industry sources say the Ridgeline now is set to end production in September 2014, with a new model not launching until second-quarter 2016.

This is a change from a prior forecast that had the current-generation truck ending its run in spring 2016 and the next-generation model beginning production the following week.

The Ridgeline is built at Honda’s Lincoln, AL, plant alongside other Honda and Acura light trucks, including the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX cross/utility vehicles.

Honda introduced the Ridgeline to the U.S. as an ’06 model in spring 2005.

Ridgeline deliveries mostly have been on a downward trajectory since record volume of 50,193 was achieved in 2006.

Sales of the pickup did grow last year to 14,068 units, a 44.2% rise from 2011 that Honda officials credit to a new Sport grade that debuted for ’12.

With demand for the truck falling sharply from its 2006 high, rumors and reports of the Ridgeline’s imminent departure have been rampant. However, Honda has vigorously denied the vehicle will disappear completely from its U.S. lineup.

The auto maker’s Detroit-based spokesman Steve Kinkade says, “(While) we don't comment on future product decisions, Ridgeline continues to be an important part of our lineup and we're pleased with Ridgeline sales, up 24% year-on-year and 32% in June.”

When the Ridgeline debuted, Honda billed the truck as an “SUT,” or sport/utility truck, partially due to its then-innovative in-bed storage box.

While manufacturers of competing body-on-frame pickups initially decried the Ridgeline because it shared some lineage with the unibody Pilot, MDX and Odyssey minivan, elements of the Ridgeline design later were co-opted by other auto makers, including Chrysler, which has a similar storage box in its Ram fullsize pickup truck.

Additionally, competitors have discussed or shown concepts of unibody small trucks, believing such models could be a way to reignite the drastically declining segment.

WardsAutodata shows small-pickup sales fell from a record 1,462,543 units in 1986 to 278,265 last year.

Pricing that approaches or is on par with that of fullsize pickups has been blamed for the decline in compact-truck volume. Many manufacturers already have abandoned the segment in the U.S., including Dodge (Dakota) and Ford (Ranger). General Motors also has been absent in recent years but will roll out new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon models in early 2014.

While the Detroit Three used to rule the compact-truck segment much as they do fullsize pickups, Toyota’s Tacoma has led Ward’s Small Pickup group since 2005.

Tacoma deliveries in 2012 tallied 141,365, a 27.7% increase from 2011 and nearly 90,000 units ahead of Nissan’s Frontier, the No.2-selling compact pickup last year.

Source;
http://wardsauto.com/auto-makers/honda-ridgeline-take-nearly-2-year-hiatus

2014 Acura MDX Foreshadows Next Honda Ridgeline

by Mark Williams

If ever there was a truck in desperate need of performance and styling updating it's the Honda Ridgeline. Essentially using the same chassis and powertrain strategy since its 2005 introduction (as a 2006 model), the Ridgeline is built off a modified version of the Acura MDX and Honda Odyssey platforms.

So far Honda has been tight-lipped about what types of changes could be coming for a next-generation Ridgeline — that is if Honda decides to stick with the vehicle at all. Some reports we've heard have the Ridgeline taking a year or two off from production to give Honda engineers time to make the pickup trucklet a better midsize competitor and/or a better player against full-size competitors.

We recently had the chance to catch up some key Honda engineers during the introduction of the all-new 2014 Acura MDX. Although they never directly made comments about the next-gen Ridgeline, we were able to read between the lines. Sure, the MDX and Ridgeline are two very different vehicles with very different capabilities and customer profiles, but there are likely to be several clues in the new MDX that could impact a future Ridgeline — mostly because they will continue to be produced at the same Lincoln, Ala., plant where the Ridgline's siblings — the Pilot, Odyssey and MDX — will continue production. Just as the last-gen MDX structure had similarities to the current Ridgeline, the new MDX could be a preview of a new Ridgeline strategy.

Jim Keller is the large project leader for the new MDX, which means he manages the engineers (engine, body, electrical, etc.), many of whom are also working on other platforms in Alabama. Based on the last-generation MDX, Pilot and Ridgeline, we can expect a new, lighter and stronger substructure (now with plenty of high-strength steel) will make it into all similar vehicles, with each of the rear suspensions getting a unique design and tune.

The MDX has departed from its previous trailering arm/link strategy in favor of a new stiffer and less complicated three-link setup. With that said, the current Ridgeline did not exactly use the previous-gen MDX's rear suspension; instead it used a highly modified and reinforced setup over the rear axle for handling heavier loads and towing.

To be competitive, a new Ridgeline will have to get lighter, stronger, offer better fuel economy (possibly another powertrain choice), be more versatile and deliver additional, unique (we like the bed trunk) storage solutions. If Honda wants to increase the appeal of the Ridgeline, it's going to have to make it attractive to traditional pickup buyers who understand what trucks are designed for and can do.

From what we've heard from those who considered purchasing a Ridgeline (and we know how passionate Ridgeline owners are), the vehicle needs to get a little more traditional to capture the attention of prospective buyers. We'd also suggest stuffing more clever storage compartments inside and outside the truck. Of course, a little fuel-saving technology couldn't hurt either.

Source;
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2013/06/2014-acura-mdx-foreshadows-next-honda-ridgeline.html