Honda rolled out its completely revamped 2017 Ridgeline mid-size pickup truck at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) this week, believing that the vehicle’s “unibody” construction will help set it apart from the other models in the light truck segment.
“We think we've got a better idea, a truck that uses its unibody construction and Honda packaging magic to deliver more of the things that many of today's truck customers want and need with none of the things they don't,” noted John Mendel, executive VP at American Honda Motor Co., Inc., in a statement.
Designed, developed and manufactured in America, the new Ridgeline will launch in the first half of 2016 with a combination of new features and capabilities:
The new Ridgeline is based on Honda's Global Light Truck platform and its rigid yet lightweight unibody construction, next-generation ACE body structure and fully independent suspension, should deliver a “higher level of ride and handling” refinement than conventional body-on-frame pickup designs, the OEM said.
Honda noted that it set an “all-time record” for U.S. sales of light truck models in 2015, up nearly 12% from 2014 to 661,188 units, though it includes its sport utility vehicles, compact utility vehicles, and minivans in its “light truck” lineup. Those numbers bested the previous record of 602,123 Honda-brand “light trucks” sold in 2006, the OEM noted.
