By Bill McLauchlan
An all-new Honda Ridgeline pickup truck will roll down Canadian roads in less than two years and, today, Honda shared a sketch expressing the new truck’s styling direction. The automaker also confirmed production of the current Ridgeline built Alabama, will conclude in mid-2014.
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| PRNewsFoto/American Honda Motor Co. Inc. |
Like the innovative first-generation model that was voted 2006 Truck of the Year by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) and earned 2006 North American Truck of the Year honours after its spring 2005 debut, the next-gen Ridgeline is being designed and developed at Honda’s Los Angeles and Ohio R&D centres.
“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 Dave Gardner, vice president of sales and marketing for Honda Canada 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.”
The Honda Ridgeline broke new ground in the Canadian 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.
Though the Ridgeline will be built in the U.S., Honda has produced more than six million cars and trucks in Canada since 1986 at its two manufacturing facilities and builds engines at a third manufacturing plant in Alliston, Ontario, and has sold more than 3.7 million cars and light-duty trucks.
Finalists Announced for N. American Car/Truck of the Year
General Motors dominated the finalists for the 2014 North American Car of the Year title, taking two of the three spots. It also took one of the three spots for 2014 North American Truck/Utility of the Year.
Forty-eight automotive journalists from the United States and Canada voted for the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and Mazda3 as finalists for the 2014 North American Car of the Year.
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| © GM Cadillac CTS |
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| © GM Corvette Stingray |
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| © GM Chevrolet Silverado |
The awards – first given in 1994 – are unique in North America because, instead of being given by a single publication, web site, radio or television program, they are given by automotive journalists representing all of those outlets in two countries.
The awards recognize the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar.
To be eligible, vehicles must be “all new” or “substantially changed”. Early in December jurors sent their ballots to Deloitte & Touche. The accounting firm kept the finalists secret until today.
At a news conference at the Automotive Press Association luncheon in Detroit Diane DeFrancis, a partner at Deloitte, handed two sealed envelopes over to Joann Muller, one of the NACTOY judges and the Detroit Bureau Chief of Forbes Media, who announced the verdict.
Now there will be a second round of voting on the three car and three truck/utility finalists. Those ballots also go to Deloitte officials, who will keep the results secret until the winners will be revealed January 13th at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit
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The list of eligible vehicles originally included 28 cars and 18 truck/utilities. In September the jurors voted to focus on 12 cars and 12 truck/utilities and those vehicles were on the ballot. They were:
North American Car of the Year
BMW 4 Series , Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, Chevrolet Impala , Infiniti Q50, Jaguar F-Type, Kia Cadenza , Lexus IS , Mazda3, Mazda6, Mercedes-Benz CLA and Toyota Corolla.
North American Truck/Utility of the Year
Acura MDX , BMW X5, Buick Encore, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Hyundai Santa Fe LWB , Jeep Cherokee, Kia Sorento, Land Rover Range Rover Sport , Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester and Toyota Tundra.
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