Honda has recently announced that we can expect the next-gen Honda Ridgeline to come to market in less than two years. The current generation of Ridgeline has seen wide success but will halt production midway through next year.
So far, Honda has only released this sketch of the next-generation Ridgeline, which hints at the styling direction for the truck.
Next-Gen Honda Ridgeline
The next-gen Honda Ridgeline will be completely designed and developed here in the States (where trucks are done best), both at the brand’s Los Angeles and Ohio R&D centers. The current-generation of the Ridgeline is produced in Alabama.
That very Ridgeline now produced in Alabama has been quite the success story for Honda, with the understanding that foreign automakers normally don’t see much in terms of sales volume with trucks in America. After debuting in 2005, the first-generation Ridgeline earned the 2006 North American Truck of the Year award, as well as the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award.
When it debuted, the Ridgeline offered a unique (and quite spacious, if you ask us) five-passenger cabin. The Ridgeline was also marked by its capable handling and smooth ride, and was the first of its kind to use a closed-box unibody platform. Also innovative to the segment was the Ridgeline’s dual-action tailgate and large In-Bed Trunk®.
The innovation of the first-gen Ridgeline still translates into high sales figures for the Japanese automaker today. In the first eleven months of 2013, Honda sold 16,160 units—a 29 percent increase over last year.
So what can we expect from the next-gen Honda Ridgeline? Michael Accavitti, senior vice president of automobile operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc., gave us his take: “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. 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.”
We can’t wait to see just how big of a role the Ridgeline will play when it debuts in just two short years.
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