Over 1,500 associates at Honda USA today celebrated the start of production of the all-new 2017 Honda Ridgeline.

More than 1,500 associates at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) today celebrated the start of mass production of the all-new 2017 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck, slated to go on-sale soon at Honda dealerships nationwide. 

HMA is the exclusive manufacturer of the innovative Ridgeline that is 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 the midsize pickup segment.

"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. "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."

Designed, developed and manufactured in America, the new Ridgeline will launch with 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 at the top of the midsize pickup class
• Innovative and class-exclusive features, including an In-Bed Trunk™, Dual Action tailgate and the industry's first Truck Bed Audio system – making Ridgeline the ultimate tailgating vehicle
• Leading edge connectivity with 8-inch Display Audio featuring Apple Car Play® and Android Auto™ compatibility

The Ridgeline is produced in the same plant in Alabama alongside other members of Honda’s award-winning light-truck lineup, including the Pilot sport utility vehicle and Odyssey minivan, as well as the Acura MDX luxury SUV.

A first for any pickup, the new Truck Bed Audio system and available 400-watt power inverter, help make Ridgeline the ultimate tailgating vehicle. The new 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.

In 2016, Honda will continue the fortification of its light-truck family of vehicles with the new Ridgeline and a new, 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.

USA - $2bn, 12 years and three million products, that will be HONDA in Alabama.

Associates at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC (HMA) celebrated a production milestone this week, completing the 3 millionth Honda vehicle built at the plant in Lincoln.

The production of HMA's milestone vehicle this week comes a little more than 12 years since the start of mass production at the $2 billion facility on Nov. 14, 2001.

"The commitment and dedication of our 4,000 associates has allowed HMA to achieve this production milestone and fulfill our commitment to more than 3 million Honda customers across the globe," said Tom Shoupe, HMA President.

HMA is the sole production source of the Odyssey minivan, the Pilot sport utility vehicle, the Ridgeline pickup truck, the Acura MDX luxury sport utility vehicle and the V-6 engines that power each vehicle. During calendar years 2009 and 2010, the facility also shared production of the Honda Accord V-6 Sedan with Honda of America Mfg. in Marysville, Ohio.

The production breakdown, by model, is approximately:*

• 1.82 million Odyssey minivans
• 1.02 million Pilot SUVs
• 90,000 Ridgeline trucks
• 50,000 Acura MDX SUVs
• 27,000 Accord V-6 Sedans (2009-2010)

Honda Manufacturing of Alabama employs more than 4,000 associates at its 3.7-million-square-foot Lincoln facility and has the capacity to produce as many as 340,000 vehicles and engines each year. Over the past two years, HMA has invested an additional $450 million and added more than 400 jobs in expansion efforts designed to enhance manufacturing flexibility and increase annual production.

Honda marked another major manufacturing milestone this week (Dec. 2) when its East Liberty Auto Plant in Ohio produced its 1 millionth CR-V sport utility vehicle. Auto production at the East Liberty plant, which employs 2,400 associates, began in 1989 and produced its first, third-generation Honda CR-V sport utility in September 2006.

*(All production totals are rounded.)