Why the Honda Ridgeline pickup is driving off into the sunset

Here we go again, according to Autoweek, the Ridgeline is going to be phased out. C'mon Honda, this is a really nice truck and by not coming out with a full redesign by your own 5yrs standards (you do this for a reason on other products, why not here!?!) you've hurt this truck. Alot of people that own one now would buy a redesign, I am on the front lines and see it all the time! People don't want the same thing every year (hmm Element come to mind?).
The Honda Ridgeline is a good example of what happens when an automaker abandons a model.
After much fanfare with its introduction in 2005, little was done to upgrade the mid-sized pickup. Ridgeline's plummeting sales are no surprise considering the lack of sheet metal changes and significant engineering improvements over the seven-year period.

The pickup's best year was 2006 when 50,193 sales were tallied. After that point, it's been all down hill. Last year, sales for the 12-month period totaled a 16,142, a 2 percent drop from the previous year. This year's sales through August nosedived 49 percent, to 5,776 vehicles.

While the Honda Ridgeline does not fill everyone's pickup needs, nor was it intended to so, it is a credible pickup. Despite the fact that it was developed off a front-drive platform, it has a 1,500-pound-plus payload capacity and tows up tow 5,000 pounds. Four-wheel drive is standard.

And, from what I hear, Ridgeline owners like the pickup, especially the towing capability, the ride, the handling, and the standard tailgate that swings down or to the side like a door.

Honda doesn't talk about future products. But Automotive News reported last month that the Honda Ridgeline will be discontinued in about two years. Based on conversations with industry sources, the story said a smaller pickup is under consideration, derived from the Honda CR-V platform.

Presuming less payload and towing capacity than the Ridgeline, I can't imagine why a smaller pickup based on a front-drive platform would be a more successful product formula for Honda.

Source;
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20110909/CARNEWS/110909864#ixzz1XYpAAqDj

2012 Honda Ridgeline Trim Levels and Colours for Canada

Well, here are a couple of changes, gone is the EX-L model, replaced by the Touring, I'm guessing the leather model will be available in a Navi/Bluetooth/Backup Cam pkg, along with the introduction of the new Sport model pictured below....

2012 Honda Ridgeline DX

NH-578 White Ext / GM (?) Int

NH-700MX Silver Ext / GM Int

NH-731P Black Ext / GM Int

NH-737M Grey Ext / GM Int



2012 Honda Ridgeline VP (Value Package)

Same as above plus;

B-552P Blue Ext / GM (?) Int

R-549PX Red Ext / Grey Int



2012 Honda Ridgeline Touring

Same as above plus;

NH-731P Black Ext / BM (?) Int

NH-731PX Black Ext / Grey Int



2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport

Only 2X Colour Choices Available;

NH-578 White Ext / Grey Int

NH-731PX Black Ext / Grey Int



Source;

Honda Canada

Honda Spyshot: 2012 Honda Ridgeline

We recently covered the 2012 Honda Ridgeline's new Sport trim package (pic below), which adds several exterior changes to our favorite unibody pickup. But if you're wondering about changes to other models, our spies have come through with the photos Honda doesn't want you to see.



Other Ridgeline models, including the high-end RTL version caught here during hot weather testing, are set to receive a new three-bar grille that's similar to the 2012 Honda Pilot crossover's grille, plus restyled taillights. We hear there will be several minor interior changes as well.

Officially, Honda says there will also be a slight boost in EPA mileage ratings for the 2012 Ridgeline in addition to the cosmetic updates. The 2011 Ridgeline is rated at 15/20 mpg city/highway and 17 mpg combined.



On sale November 2011.



Source;

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/08/spied-2012-honda-ridgeline-rtl.html

2012 Honda Ridgeline Sport Package Revealed

The 2012 model year brings a new trim level and some visual revisions for Honda's Ridgeline truck. The new trim is optimistically called Sport -- it doesn't entail any sporty performance upgrades, but does bring aesthetic modifications to make the Ridgeline look a little cooler.

The key word for the Ridgeline Sport is black, as the color is applied to the head-, fog-, and taillight bezels; the mirrors; door handles; unique honeycomb grille; and 18-inch wheels. It's a cool look, but we wonder whether the Sport label is truly justified by what's essentially just a collection of blacked-out body parts. From what we can tell, the Sport will sport much of the same equipment as a typical Ridgeline RT model.

New duds aren't limited to this black-on-black model, as Honda will graft a new grille design onto every 2012 Ridgeline. There are no pictures of the non-Sport model, but our money says the Ridgeline will score the same chrome-slat grille design as the 2012 Pilot.

The 2012 Ridgeline is said to boast improved fuel economy; the 250-hp 3.5-liter V-6 engine will probably remain unchanged while the five-speed automatic transmission could be swapped for a six-speed unit, like that used on the Acura MDX, which rides upon a similar platform. The truck is currently EPA-rated at 15/20 mpg (city/highway). The new Ridgeline (and the Sport variant) goes on sale this November.

Source;

http://www.trucktrend.com/features/news/2011/163_news110725_2012_honda_ridgeline/index.html

2012 Honda Ridgeline

2012 Honda Ridgeline - This is the very best pickup truck is scheduled to be released in autumn 2011, and the following is details about specifications, performances, and features in 2012 Honda Ridgeline. According to details we received, this automobile will likely be sold with costs ranging from $ 29.800 - $ 37.800, estimated cost for the 2012 H And although a lot of people couldn’t tell the difference, it was labeled (unfairly) a car-based truck. 

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Honda says it will keep Ridgeline pickup

This coincides with what I've been told;
http://thehondaportal.blogspot.com/2010/11/rumours.html
If you had any thoughts that Honda might be having misgivings about the truck business, banish them. The youth-oriented Element crossover may be dying, but the Ridgeline pickup will go on.

That's the word from Executive Vice President John Mendel of Honda's U.S. unit, who was quick to squash rumors that Ridgeline, the brand's quirky little truck, could be next on the chopping block. Honda sold 16,142 Ridgelines last year, almost the same as in 2009, but paltry in comparison to truck models from other makers. Toyota, for instance, sold 106,198 of its small Tacoma pickups. General Motors sold 24,642 of its Chevrolet Colorado small pickup truck.

Mendel says Ridgeline has developed a strong following and it increases Honda's "share of garage." It's small truck, yet has a four-door cab, a short bed and a hidden compartment in back.

"We think we have a ways to go on the Ridgeline," he said. It increases Honda's "share of garage." But he wouldn't say when, or commit, to a next generation build for Ridgeline. Honda announced late last year that it will kill the Element, a practical, boxy crossover originally aimed at surfers, bikers and other youthful fun seekers.

Source;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/01/honda-ridgeline-element-retained/1