All-New 2017 Honda Ridgeline Pickup Truck Makes World Debut at 2016 North American International Auto Show
· 2017 Ridgeline brings Honda innovation in technology,
design and packaging to the midsize pickup truck market
· All-new Ridgeline delivers superior driving dynamics in
combination with the largest interior space and most versatile bed in a midsize
4-door pickup
· Honda-exclusive features including In-Bed Trunk®,
dual-action tailgate and the industry’s first in-bed audio system make
Ridgeline the ultimate tailgating vehicle
DETROIT, January 11, 2016 –
Honda today unveiled the all-new 2017 Ridgeline truck at the North American
International Auto Show, once again challenging conventional thinking in the
pickup truck market with Honda-exclusive features, design and technology that
help Ridgeline set new benchmarks for versatility, capability and comfort in a
midsize pickup.
“We are bringing our unique technology and original thinking
to the market in a new and challenging concept for a Honda pickup,” said John
Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “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.”
Designed, developed and manufactured in America, the new
Ridgeline will launch in the first half of 2016 with a combination of features
and capabilities unlike anything else on the market today, including:
· Superior
on-road performance – with the segment’s best handling, ride quality, cabin
quietness and all-weather traction capabilities – courtesy of its unibody
construction, sophisticated chassis, and available i-VTM4™ torque-vectoring AWD
system
· Class-leading
space – with the largest and most versatile cabin and the only 4-foot-wide flat
bed space in the midsize pickup segment, along with payload capacity rivaling
top competitors
· Innovative
and class-exclusive features, including an In-Bed Trunk™, dual-action tailgate
and the industry’s first in-bed audio system – making Ridgeline the ultimate
tailgating vehicle
· Targeted
top-in-class acceleration, EPA fuel economy ratings and third-party collision
safety ratings, and featuring Honda’s next-generation ACE™ body structure and available
Honda Sensing™ suite of safety and driver-assist technologies
· Leading
edge connectivity with 8-inch Display Audio featuring Apple Car Play® and
Android Auto™ compatibility
Advanced
Chassis, Powertrain and All-Wheel-Drive
The new Ridgeline is based on Honda’s Global Light Truck
platform with its rigid yet lightweight unibody construction, next-generation
ACE™ body structure and sophisticated, fully independent suspension, delivering
a higher level of ride and handling refinement than conventional body-on-frame
designs. The Ridgeline will be powered by a 3.5-liter, direct-injected i-VTEC™ V-6 engine mated to a 6-speed
automatic transmission, providing top-in-class powertrain refinement and
targeting best-in-class acceleration performance and segment-leading EPA fuel economy
ratings.
The Ridgeline also will be available for the first time
in both front-wheel and all-wheel-drive configurations. All-wheel-drive models
will utilize Honda’s i-VTM4™ torque vectoring AWD technology, featuring
Intelligent Terrain Management with Normal, Sand, Snow and Mud modes, providing
robust medium-duty off-road and towing capability with superior on-road, all-weather
handling, traction and performance.
Sophisticated,
Versatile and Spacious Cabin
Inside, the Ridgeline boasts the largest, most versatile and
sophisticated cabin in a midsize 4-door pickup, featuring high-grade materials
and finishes, available leather trim and all the latest technologies that Honda
has to offer, including tri-zone climate control, push button start, a full-color
TFT center meter and available 8-inch Display Audio touchscreen with Apple Car
Play and Android Auto compatibility.
The Ridgeline’s 60/40-split and folding second-row seat
provides the ultimate versatility for people- and cargo-hauling utility. With
the seats folded down, the Ridgeline will comfortably carry up to five people while
still accommodating long items, like a set of golf clubs, under the rear seat.
Folding up one or both sides of the 60/40-split seat bottom opens up the back to
carry tall and bulky items.
A
Bed Like No Other
The Ridgeline bed offers pickup users unmatched versatility
in a midsize 4-door pickup. At 5’ wide and 5’4” long (5.4 inches wider and 4
inches longer than the previous generation Ridgeline), the 2017 Honda Ridgeline
has the only 4-foot wide flat bed space (with 48 inches between the rear wheel
arches) in the midsize pickup class, allowing for flat hauling of items like plywood
sheeting or drywall. The Ridgeline will also offer payload capacity rivaling
top competitors, approaching 1,600 pounds, with final specifications to be
released closer to launch.
The composite, UV-stabilized and scratch-resistant bed
also boasts a number of available Honda-exclusive features that add to its
incredible versatility, including an In-Bed Trunk™, dual-action tailgate, available
400-watt AC power inverter and the industry’s first in-bed audio system.
The Ridgeline’s standard, lockable In-Bed Trunk provides secure
storage space with no compromise to bed utility and now features a fully flat
floor while still including a drain plug for easier cleaning and evacuation of water
from the trunk. The dual action tailgate is hinged both at the bottom and along
its left side, opening down or to the side, which enables easier loading and
unloading of heavy and bulky items without having to reach over the open tailgate.
The bed also features eight 350-pound tie down cleats and an available 400-watt
power inverter, located behind an access panel in the right bed wall, with the capacity
to recharge power tools or energize a tailgate blender or flat screen TV.
A first for any pickup, the new in-bed audio system, together
with the In-Bed Trunk and available 400-watt power inverter, makes Ridgeline
the ultimate tailgating vehicle. The new in-bed audio system utilizes six exciters
located inside the bed walls, in place of conventional speakers, pumping out sound
from the Ridgeline’s audio head unit, with up to 540 watts of power.
Top-Level
Safety Performance
Featuring Honda’s next-generation ACE™ body structure,
advanced airbag systems and available Honda Sensing™ suite of safety and
driver-assist technologies, the new Ridgeline will target the highest available
collision safety ratings – an NCAP 5-star Overall Vehicle Score from the NHTSA
and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from
the IIHS. Honda Sensing™ technologies available on the 2017 Ridgeline include
Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Collision Mitigation Braking System™ (CMBS™),
Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) and Lane Keeping
Assist (LKAS). All Ridgeline models will
feature a multi-angle rearview camera as standard equipment and upper trims will
be available with either Honda LaneWatch™ or Blind Spot Information system.
Ridgeline
Development and Manufacturing
Like the first generation Honda Ridgeline, the all-new 2017
Ridgeline was designed and developed by Honda R&D Americas and will be
produced by Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln, Alabama.
About the Honda Light
Truck Lineup
Honda
set an all-time record for U.S. sales of light truck models in 2015, up nearly 12%
from 2014 to 661,188 SUVs, CUVs, pickups and minivans, and besting the previous
record of 602,123 Honda-brand light trucks sold in 2006. Honda’s sales success was driven by an
unprecedented cadence of new light truck offerings starting in the fall of 2014
with the freshened 2015 Honda CR-V, which was named Motor Trend 2016 Sport Utility of the Year and was America’s
best selling SUV again in 2015. In 2015, Honda launched the all-new HR-V
crossover and the third generation Pilot SUV. In December, the Pilot was names
as a finalist for the 2016 North American Truck/Utility of the Year award.
In
2016, Honda will continue the fortification of its light-truck family of
vehicles with the new Ridgeline and a fully redesigned Odyssey minivan. Honda
was named the “2016 Best SUV Brand” by U.S.
News and World Report, and the Pilot, CR-V, HR-V and Odyssey each has earned
a “Best Buy” award from Kelly Blue Book for 2016. The 2016 Pilot and CR-V have received a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety for model year 2016, while the 2016 Odyssey
minivan has earned a TOP SAFETY PICK
rating.
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.
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