Honda’s first stab at the Ridgeline was discontinued in 2014. The model is now in its second generation, which started with the 2017 model year.
Generally, it has been highly rated by auto reviewers as an excellent choice for most buyers, even though consumers want the traditional truck look.
But Honda isn’t making any excuses for the capabilities of the Ridgeline as a unibody vehicle. Indeed, the brand says it plans to update the looks of all of its light trucks to better reflect their robust construction and innovative awd system, called i-VTM4.
“We have a very strong light-truck lineup. It’s just making sure that customers realize what we have, what our capability is,” Art St. Cyr, vice president of automobile operations at American Honda, told Automotive News at an October event. “People don’t realize what they can do.”
Jay Joseph, vice president of American Honda’s marketing division, said that, based on the freshening and marketing campaign, the brand is aiming for Ridgeline sales of 50,000 a year.
Honda is leveraging its long history as a maker of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, generators and other outdoor equipment as part of the marketing effort. In one video ad, the Ridgeline carries two motorcycles along a rocky mountain road and crosses a stream.
