http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1261910
Honda Accelerates Sweeping Light Truck Makeover with New Ridgeline Pickup Set for Global Debut at the 2016 North American International Auto ShowTORRANCE, Calif., December 18, 2015 – Honda will challenge conventional thinking in the midsize pickup segment with the return of the Honda Ridgeline truck, set to make its world debut at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Monday, January 11 at 1:15 p.m. EST. Designed, developed and manufactured in America, the allnew Ridgeline is the fourth new or significantly refreshed light truck model introduced by Honda in the past 18 months and will hit roads nationwide in the first half of next year.
“We developed this new Honda Ridgeline to offer something new and fundamentally better suited to the way many buyers use their truck,” said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Division. “Ridgeline will deliver everything you’d expect in a Honda from incredible packaging and fuelefficiency to top safety technologies and innovative, segmentfirst features. We’re honored to once again debut the Ridgeline in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show.”
Honda began the complete remake of its lighttruck lineup in the fall of 2014 with the freshened 2015 Honda CRV, America’s best selling SUV. Earlier this year, Honda launched the allnew HRV crossover, gateway to the Honda truck lineup, and the third generation of its popular Pilot threerow SUV. In 2016, Honda will continue the strengthening of its lighttruck family of vehicles with the new Ridgeline and a fully redesigned Odyssey minivan.
Calendar year 2015 sales of Honda light trucks are up 11.8 percent to 599,507 vehicles through the end of November and are on track to set a new alltime sales record for the brand, beating the previous best of 602,123 units in 2006.
Like the first generation Ridgeline, which also debuted at NAIAS in 2005, the allnew Ridgeline was designed and developed by Honda R&D Americas, Inc., in its Torrance, California design studios and Raymond, Ohio, newvehicle development center. The Ridgeline and its engine will be produced1by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, Inc., in Lincoln, Alabama. Watch the press conference live at Honda’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/Hondaor media website, hondanews.com/channels/ridgeline.
About Honda
Honda offers a complete lineup of Honda cars, trucks and service with a network of more than 1,000 Honda dealerships within the United States. Eight Honda auto plants in North America, including four in the U.S., have the capacity to produce 1.92 million automobiles each year. In 2014, more than 97 percent of the Honda and Acura automobiles sold in the U.S. were produced in North America using domestic and globally sourced parts.
1 Using domestic and globally sourced parts
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http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1261912All-New 2017 Honda Ridgeline Pickup to Make Television Debut During Super Bowl 50 60-second TV spot gives America an inside preview of the next-gen Ridgeline
Extensive multi-platform campaign to support launch of new TV spot
TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 18, 2015 – Following its world debut at January’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the all-new 2017 Honda Ridgeline is set to debut on television to well over 100 million viewers on Sun., Feb. 7, during the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl 50. Honda will execute activations across several platforms, screens and Internet properties to promote the ad and the 2017 Honda Ridgeline.
“The big game is the largest and most coveted stage to show the world that Honda is back in a big way with an all-new Ridgeline truck,” said Jeff Conrad, senior vice president and general manager of the Honda Automobile Division. “Super Bowl 50 is the right time and the right venue to communicate Honda’s continued leadership in light trucks. The multiplatform approach will enable Ridgeline to come out of the gate strong in 2016.”
The all-new 2017 Ridgeline television spot marks the Honda brand’s first official Super Bowl commercial since 2014’s “Hugfest” promoting Honda safety, which generated significant social engagement during and after the big game.
The all-new Ridgeline is slated to launch in the first half of 2016 at Honda dealerships nationwide, and will join Honda’s expanded lineup of innovative light truck models, including the HR-V crossover, the CR-V and Pilot SUVs and the Odyssey minivan. Honda is on track to earn a new all-time record for light truck sales in 2015, with sales up 11.8 percent to nearly 600,000 units through the end of November.
The Ridgeline is being developed by Honda’s North American design and engineering teams in Ohio and California, and will be produced at its Lincoln, Alabama, auto and engine plant, alongside the Pilot and Odyssey.
Honda introduced the award-winning first-generation Ridgeline in 2005 and earned high praise for its unique features and capabilities, including the industry’s first In-Bed Trunk and Dual Action Tailgate, as well as its superior on-road manners and spacious, flexible interior. The original Ridgeline was named 2006 Motor Trend Truck of the year and 2006 North American Truck of the Year and topped J.D. Power and Associates’ Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study in the midsize pickup segment for three consecutive years.
About Honda
Honda offers a full line of reliable, fuel-efficient and fun-to-drive automobiles for American car buyers through approximately 1,000 independent U.S. Honda dealers. The Honda lineup includes the Accord, Civic, Fit and CR-Z, along with the HR-V Crossover and Pilot and CR-V sport/utility vehicles and the Odyssey minivan.
Honda has the longest-lasting cars1 of any mainstream automotive brand in America, and has been producing automobiles in America for more than 30 years and currently operates 18 major manufacturing facilities in North America. In 2014, more than 97 percent of all Honda vehicles sold in the U.S. were made in North America, using domestic and globally sourced parts.
1 Longevity based on IHS Automotive, Polk U.S. vehicles in operation registration statistics 1988–2012 for Honda and non-luxury competing brands.