Photo: Kleber Silva on Behance
As you’re well aware, Soichiro Honda started out with the A-Type engine for bicycles. Then motorcycles followed suit in 1955 while automobile production had to wait until 1963. Even though the S500 two-door roadster was introduced that year, the T360 kei truck was first.
That’s right, ladies and gents! The company that’s best known for the Civic, Accord, and CR-V ventured into automobile production with the help of a pickup. Fast-forward to the present day, and Honda has two trucks to offer in the guise of t the Ridgeline for the United States and Acty for Japan. The latter, however, will be discontinued at the start of 2021.
In other words, Honda will be left with the Ridgeline next year. This gets us to a resurging automotive trend, that of the unibody truck. Hyundai, Kia, Ford, and Volkswagen are all interested in this type of vehicle, and all four newcomers are scheduled to arrive next year or in 2022 at the latest. Worse still for the Japanese automaker, all are believed to be compact and more affordable than the mid-sized Ridgeline with Pilot underpinnings.
The question is, does a smaller unibody truck make sense for Honda? Something like this rendering from Brazilian pixel artist Kleber Silva? It’s hard to tell given that the market has yet to show its preferences, but looking at the bigger picture, the Japanese automaker isn’t interested.
You see, Honda is extremely focused on electrification these days. Assembly plants in England and Turkey will be shuttered because of this, helping Soichiro’s company cut costs and streamline production in accordance to demand. An HR-V with a truck bed, therefore, isn’t a priority for the time being. Oh, and there’s also the problem of powertrain options.
Over in the United States where the HR-V Crosstruck would make the most sense, a 1.8-liter engine with 141 horsepower, 127 pound-feet of torque, and a continuously variable transmission wouldn’t be enough to fend off the competition. Not even the 1.5-liter turbo of the Civic is adequate, a powerplant that’s known for oil dilution, translating to premature wear.
In other words, Honda will be left with the Ridgeline next year. This gets us to a resurging automotive trend, that of the unibody truck. Hyundai, Kia, Ford, and Volkswagen are all interested in this type of vehicle, and all four newcomers are scheduled to arrive next year or in 2022 at the latest. Worse still for the Japanese automaker, all are believed to be compact and more affordable than the mid-sized Ridgeline with Pilot underpinnings.
The question is, does a smaller unibody truck make sense for Honda? Something like this rendering from Brazilian pixel artist Kleber Silva? It’s hard to tell given that the market has yet to show its preferences, but looking at the bigger picture, the Japanese automaker isn’t interested.
You see, Honda is extremely focused on electrification these days. Assembly plants in England and Turkey will be shuttered because of this, helping Soichiro’s company cut costs and streamline production in accordance to demand. An HR-V with a truck bed, therefore, isn’t a priority for the time being. Oh, and there’s also the problem of powertrain options.
Over in the United States where the HR-V Crosstruck would make the most sense, a 1.8-liter engine with 141 horsepower, 127 pound-feet of torque, and a continuously variable transmission wouldn’t be enough to fend off the competition. Not even the 1.5-liter turbo of the Civic is adequate, a powerplant that’s known for oil dilution, translating to premature wear.
Google News