Honda shifts Ridgeline production from Canada to Alabama
Honda built its state of the art Lincoln, Alabama plant to produce the Odyssey minivan and Pilot SUV, and now it's going to add the Ridgeline unit-body pickup, as well. Cost-wise, it makes a lot of sense to move Ridgeline production from Canada to Alabama, considering all three vehicles share a platform and powertrain. What's tough to understand is how Honda intends to squeeze out an additional 40,000 units from the ultra-efficient plant. The Lincoln plant is already operating 13,000 units beyond peak capacity, with its very strong minivan and SUV selling well around the country.
Lucky for Honda we're not in charge of vehicle production, and we're sure the company's many brilliant engineers know what they're doing. Now, if the Japanese automaker can get some equally talented designers to gussy up the visual train wreck that is the Ridgeline, then they'd definitely need a second manufacturing
[Source: AL]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sam 8:42AM (3/03/2008)
and they'll save so much money working in america! wait...parity.
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psarhjinian 8:50AM (3/03/2008)
The Canadian plant (Alliston, Ontario) makes the MDX, which also shares that platform. I'm guessing sales of the MDX (and conversely, non-sales of the Ridgeline) probably forced the Ridgeline to Lincoln. Alliston is pretty much at-cap as well. I'm guessing that either it's nearer the wall than Lincoln, or isn't as easy to expand.
Heh. Plant overutilization. How often does _that_ happen. I'll bet Chrysler sorely wishes they had Honda's troubles.
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geo.stewart 8:57AM (3/03/2008)
2nd manufacturing sight?
come on, its a S I T E.
if you are doing this for free, thats one thing but if you get paid, then show a little pride. Spell check doesn't correct homonyms, there has to be some basic intelligence behind the keyboard.
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Shaft 9:04AM (3/03/2008)
I was two minutes too slow...you beat me to the punch. Or, as Chris Shunk would write, "I was too minutes two slow...."
Chris is so busy interjecting his personal opinion into a news story that he can't be bothered with small details like spelling errors. The real story to Chris is that the Ridgeline styling is a "visual train wreck." This is nothing but a flame looking for some "I love the Ridgeline," or "It's not a real truck!" responses. That's modern internet journalism folks.......when there isn't anything to write about, create something! Hey Chris, maybe you can work for the New York Times!
JWIL 9:16AM (3/03/2008)
Wow, you guys are harsh. Let it go and get a life. It's the internet.
It sounds like you guys despise Autoblog! If so then go elsewhere.
I mean, yeah he should have used the correct word but it's not worth writing about.
Maybe you are both Ridgeline owners. LOL
Hope I spelled everything correctly or else the f@$king spelling police will be after me.
Chris Shunk 9:22AM (3/03/2008)
Hey guys... thanks for finding my "site" error. Every publication has errors, and even though we try to minimize screw ups at all costs, Autoblog is no different. I'm sure you'll be able to find the occasional gaffe on WSJ or the Times, too. I know I spot plenty of problems here in Detroit in the News and Free Press.
Try to remember that this is a blog, and if we think the Ridgeline is ugly, we're more than within our rights to let you know. We give you the comments section to argue with us free of charge, so that way everybody gets the chance to chime in.
cheezwiz 9:58AM (3/03/2008)
Stewart,
"Stewart" is a proper name. It therefore requires a capital letter. Please use proper spelling in your own screen name before criticizing other people for their spelling.
Sincerely,
thousands of readers you just annoyed
Pat 10:19AM (3/03/2008)
I though it was a play-on-words referring to the Ridgeline's Aztekish looks.
geo.stewart 11:18AM (3/03/2008)
"cheezwhiz"
2 points:
1) I dont get paid for writing on here so I can fall back on the 'amateur' title.
2) a) I can go the route that it is a screen name and can use any manner of letters, numbers, and symbols.
OR b) I can put it back on you that if you are going to criticize me, the look to your own. Cheez Whiz is a proper name for a product produced by Kraft Foods (which is how Kraft represents themselves).
Corey W 9:08AM (3/03/2008)
".....visual train wreck that is the Ridgeline." huh??
I think the Ridgeline is great design, but that because I like the Avalanche.. ;-)
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torpeau 11:02AM (3/03/2008)
I agree that it's not a "visual train wreck" in terms of truck styling. Unfortunately, they used some of the same styling cues for the '08 Accord.
RWD fan 9:13AM (3/03/2008)
Is this new production going to be employing all the laid-off motorcycle builder, since Honda is quitting US production of its two-wheelers?
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Guenther 10:41AM (3/03/2008)
the last press release said noone was getting laid off, but getting moved to another near-by facility. That Honda Cycle plant is pretty small.
Ligor 9:39AM (3/03/2008)
they got the ridgeline wrong from day one
I suspect ti's the type of person that has this for a ride, also has his hair combed accross his head to hide the baldness, or maybe never bothers to fix them up much in the morning
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Guenther 10:52AM (3/03/2008)
Troll
Typesbad 2:38PM (3/03/2008)
Boy Liquor, you are good!
I like the Ridgeline and my hair is thinning. If that doesn't prove Honda made a mistake, I don't know what does.
Then again, I don't have comb-over, but I'm not fond of the Ridgline's grill either (which kind of resembles one), so the analogy may still be intact.
Anti-believer 10:59AM (3/03/2008)
Autoblog get your facts straight...
Ridgeline must not be a train wreck of design when it exceeded the propose amount of sales in it's first year of production. Honda sold over the 50K proposed sales amount in it's first 12 months of sales.
Don't hate!
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Iridium 11:16AM (3/03/2008)
GO falling dollar!!! Pretty soon we might give the Peso a run for its money, next step Chinese Yuan. Maybe we'll get more manufacturing jobs back.
Wait, we won't be able to actually afford anything imported into the country, which is almost everything we buy, great.
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MikeW 11:36AM (3/03/2008)
I hope Honda finds a 3.7 V6 to put under the hood.
New headlights also.
and a real transmission shifter, how do you tow if you can't get 4th gear?
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Yggdrasilly 11:46AM (3/03/2008)
OH NOES MANUFACTURING JOBS ARE COMING BACK TO AMERICA!
When these jobs went to Canada in the first place, did that prove Canada was a third-world country? No. It proved that Canada had a work force capable of doing good work in a complicated, dynamic environment, and that exchange rates favored their bit of soil over ours.
Now that the jobs are coming back, what does that say? It says that blue-collar workers in Alabama--yes, Alabama!--are just as smart and efficient as those in Canada. And if the exchange rate favors them, it's worthwhile to uproot your assembly lines and move them several thousand miles south, just as it did to move them north a few years back.
And I think I'm seeing something else at work here:
Does it sting some of you folks to realize that people who don't necessarily share your views on health care and the death penalty can still be as intelligent and hardworking as those who do?
Maybe your opinions don't confer the automatic superiority you thought they did.
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