Peter Palmer: 2017 Honda Ridgeline Production Begins

Production of the 2017 Honda Ridgeline began at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) today (May 5th). The 2017 Ridgeline comes from Honda’s global light truck platform and features a number of unique segment characteristics, including a unibody design and all-wheel drive.

The Ridgeline is expected to hit Honda dealerships later this year.

“Today we celebrate the dedication of our Alabama team in bringing a very innovative new pickup truck to market,” said Jeff Tomko, President of HMA.

With stiff competition from Chevrolet, Toyota, and Nissan, Honda is looking to set themselves apart. The 2017 Ridgeline offers the only 4-foot-wide flat bed space in the class, with a tailgate that not only lifts and lowers, but swings open like a traditional door. This will be useful for loading everything from plywood to groceries.

The 2017 Ridgeline is also primed for weekend outings with an optional truck bed audio system. Other highlights for Honda in the segment include the aforementioned unibody construction and i-VTM4 torque-vectoring AWD technology. Both elements will give the 2017 Honda Ridgeline an advantage in handing, ride quality, and safety.

After a brief hiatus, the return of the Honda Ridgeline is exciting for those in Lincoln, Alabama. Over 1,500 employees and associates were on hand to celebrate.

“I congratulate all of our associates for their commitment to our customers as the Ridgeline returns with new features that will deliver even more of what today’s truck customers want and need,” Tomko said.

*Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.

Photo & Source: Honda