Photo: Kleber Silva on Behance
As far as pickups in America are concerned, there’s a noticeable discrepancy between American and Japanese automakers. Despite this contrast, the Tacoma fares rather well in the mid-size segment while the Ridgeline caters to different customers. After all, we’re talking about a body-on-frame and an “adventure truck.”
Right off the bat, Honda knew that it couldn’t compete with the Tacoma because of the unibody underpinning from the Pilot three-row crossover. This is one of the reasons the Ridgeline sold 33,334 examples in the U.S. last year, and a question arises as a result. Why is Honda so reluctant to develop a ladder-frame architecture?
This question is all the more important if you remember that the Passport from the 1994 model year is actually an Isuzu Rodeo, which was based on a truck. You need to look at the automaker’s U.S. lineup to understand why a body-on-frame platform makes little sense from a commercial standpoint, even more so if you remember that the competition has more experience and more bragging rights in this segment.
Despite this state of affairs, pixel artist Kleber Silva used his Photoshop skills to combine the Ridgeline’s front fascia with the profile, bed, tailgate, and ladder frame of the GMC Canyon. The resulting rendering isn’t half bad although there’s no denying the truck is rather generic from an aesthetic standpoint. Honda knows it as well, which is why a new design language is in the pipeline for the 2022 Civic.
As far as hauling is concerned, the Ridgeline is rated at 5,000 pounds of towing and 1,580 pounds of payload for the 2021 model year. The more rugged rival is good for up to 1,620 and 7,600 pounds depending on the powertrain and cabin option. In other words, Honda would have to invest a lot of money into an all-new vehicle architecture in order to match the mid-size pickup from General Motors without the guarantee that sales will match or exceed those of the rivaling truck. Oh, and by the way, that’s not the only reason the Ridgeline won’t get a ladder-frame chassis.
Honda is in the middle of a cost-cutting spree, streamlining production all across the world. In addition to closing a handful of the least profitable plants it owns, the Japanese automaker is also investing heavily in electrification technologies.
This question is all the more important if you remember that the Passport from the 1994 model year is actually an Isuzu Rodeo, which was based on a truck. You need to look at the automaker’s U.S. lineup to understand why a body-on-frame platform makes little sense from a commercial standpoint, even more so if you remember that the competition has more experience and more bragging rights in this segment.
Despite this state of affairs, pixel artist Kleber Silva used his Photoshop skills to combine the Ridgeline’s front fascia with the profile, bed, tailgate, and ladder frame of the GMC Canyon. The resulting rendering isn’t half bad although there’s no denying the truck is rather generic from an aesthetic standpoint. Honda knows it as well, which is why a new design language is in the pipeline for the 2022 Civic.
As far as hauling is concerned, the Ridgeline is rated at 5,000 pounds of towing and 1,580 pounds of payload for the 2021 model year. The more rugged rival is good for up to 1,620 and 7,600 pounds depending on the powertrain and cabin option. In other words, Honda would have to invest a lot of money into an all-new vehicle architecture in order to match the mid-size pickup from General Motors without the guarantee that sales will match or exceed those of the rivaling truck. Oh, and by the way, that’s not the only reason the Ridgeline won’t get a ladder-frame chassis.
Honda is in the middle of a cost-cutting spree, streamlining production all across the world. In addition to closing a handful of the least profitable plants it owns, the Japanese automaker is also investing heavily in electrification technologies.
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