Sun Jan 8, 12:26 PM ET



DETROIT (Reuters) - Honda Motor Corp. swept the top honors at the Detroit auto show on Sunday as its all-new Civic and first-ever pickup, the Ridgeline, were voted car and truck of the year by a panel of automotive writers.

The result marked another setback for Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F - news) and General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news), which have been losing market share to Japanese competitors in their home market and have pledged to mount a comeback in the passenger car market.

The Ford Fusion and the Pontiac Solstice had been the other finalists for the North American Car of the Year award, given by a panel of 49 car writers from the United States and Canada.

The revamped 2006 Civic and the Ridgeline, Honda's first truck offering, had also won vehicle of the year honors from trade magazine Motor Trend, giving Honda a first-of-its-kind sweep in all four major awards and an important marketing tool to attract new buyers.

"I don't know how you can top this. We certainly hoped for one, didn't expect two (awards)," said John Mandel, senior vice president at American Honda. "Words can't express the excitement. It's the first time it's ever been done, I believe."

The Ridgeline, which Honda introduced in April, is on track to meet the company's target for 50,000 unit sales in North America in the first full year, Mandel said.

Honda has promoted its first entry into the truck market, which features a relatively short bed and roomier passenger cabin, in part on the basis of its responsive handling and safety features.

Honda expects to sell more than 300,000 Civics in 2006, Mandel said, adding that sales since the revamped model's launch had benefited from renewed consumer attention to fuel economy.

The Civic also comes in a hybrid version, offering 49 miles per gallon for city driving and 51 miles per gallon on the highway.

"Sales have been phenomenal. It's really hit the ground running," Mandel said of the Civic.

The full-time auto writers who voted on the vehicle-of-the- year awards assigned points to each entrant on the basis of ride, performance, safety and value considerations.

The Civic Coupe price starts at $14,360, while the Ridgeline starts at $27,700 before optional features.

source : news.yahoo.com

 

Ridgeline...an award winning sales flop.

 

I know some people at CL dislike the Ridgeline but when you look at the firsts it brings to the pickup world........things like a unibody and ladder-frame combined and lockable trunks under the pickup bed, it is hard not to give this truck some kind of award. Flip is correct, however, that it has been a sales flop, and here's why: Honda made one real mistake with this truck.....the same mistake Toyota made in 1994 with the T-100 and T-150.....by putting in a V6 without enough power or a package for for heavy-duty towing. 5000-5500 lbs is about the limit. The rival Nissan Titan DOES have the heavy-duty towing capaciy ( 9400 lbs.) but has been plagued with quality and firt-and-finish problems.

Hard to really comment on the new Civic...I haven't seen it in person yet. This is a car on my review schedule...there is a lot of interest in it and it is a big seller. Right off the bat, however, I can say that, looks-wise and from what I have seeen in pictures, I'm not a fan of the way they did either the dashboard-gauge package or the front end.


I don't claim to have more knowledge than the automotive writers who did the voting, but for the 2006 calendar year ( as opposed to the model year ) right off the bat and with what knowledge I do have, I would have given the award to the Ridgeline and the Corvette Z06. I don't have to further discuss the Ridgeline, but the Z06, if you can avoid the inevitable dealer price gouging, is one of the best automotive deals to come along in years. Though it lists for about 70K, Its level of engine, chassis, brake, and tire performance is on a par with, and in some cases exceeds, sports cars twice its price like the Porsche 911 Turbo. And its assembly quality, quality of materials used, paint, job, and fit-and-finish, while not state-of-the-art, is not only light-years ahead of past Corvettes but better then most other GM vehicles in general, with maybe the new Cadillac STS excepted. I have driven and reviewed ( for Christmas ) its less-powerful brother C6 and was amazed at how light and easy the clutch and transmission were....almost anybody with an ounce of common sense can easily drive this car.
The Z06's only real thorn in the side, besides the usual expenses and difficulties getting insurance, is not the fault of the car itself............dealer-price gouging. The Chevy dealership where I reviewed and test-drove the HHR yesterday told me that they let a Z06 go that very morning ( the only one they had in stock ) for $81,000......and they seemed to be very nice people......I was impressed with them. While that, of course, is almost 10K over list, I have heard of Z06's going for almost 100K...which, of course, diminishes its nature as a good bargain.

 

Why? Was their goal not 50,000? Looks like they are at 42,593 for the year and the thing was introduced in April.

I know two people that bought them. Both have three kids and thus the need for three car seats. Both need to make Home Depot runs during the weekend - both needed their spouses to be able to drive the truck.

Both love their trucks.

 

You may have a point...it depends on what you mean by "flop" .
50,000 units may not be a pittance, but it clearly is not going to compete with the F-150 and Silverado. That market is next to impossible to crack....we have discussed this on CAR CHAT a number of times.
I notice you are in IL...where the Ridgeline may have a little more appeal than here in the Washington, D.C. area. In this area it is not popular at all.....I have seen only a few of them on the road...no more than maybe half-a-dozen. However, it is surprising that it would do that well in IL, a area that is traditionally is somewhat hostile to non-American nameplates. Right next door in IN is where I have seen some of the worst anti-Honda attitudes, even though the state has a factory at Lafayette that builds Subarus....a Japanese make....and IL has a Diamond-Star plant at Normal that builds some Mitsubishis.
Are you in the Chicago or East-St. Louis areas?.....they are more open to imported nameplates there than they are in the rural parts of the state.

 

Have you driven the Civic? What to you think of it?.

 

Mods......maybe poll time?

 

They didn't meet their goal. They're 7,409 short of their goal. Not too long ago, Honda put out a press release saying they were cutting back on production of the Ridgeline. Honda dealerships here in SoCal are having a hard time trying to sell them which is why many of them have been offering hard to beat discounts on them. Norm Reeves Honda here in SoCal (largest Honda Dealer in the world) is having a hard time moving them off their lot. Qualifies as a flop in my books = Did not meet goal.

 

Chicago - but if they have sold 42K, you could surmize (completely unscientific) that there would only be about 800+ per state right now (I realize how un-scientific that is) - but even knowing two people that have them, I have only seen a handful on the road.

Chicago has changed dramatically over the years - foreign nameplaces are common here. Nothing like California of course but still nothing like Detroit.

Depends. I read the goal was March-Dec. But the truck was introduced in April - were they one month off? If that is the case then they came close. Either way, I don't see why so many people hate this thing.

 

I don't particularly like any truck. However, if I had to buy a truck, the Rideline surely would be one of my choices simply because too me all trucks look like a box and not really attractive, and if I had to buy one I want one that fits my needs. For many people all they need to do is haul some stuff every once in a while, and they use the truck for daily driving. The Ridgeline fits that perfectly better than any truck out there. I would agree that it is a sales flop. However, just because it is a sales flop doesn't mean it is a bad truck or not worthy of praise. The NSX was a supposed sales flop as well.

 

well, main reason I would never ever give ridgeline any kind of truck award, is because it is NOT AN DARN TRUCK.

Its a car. Sure, it is fine, most ppl dont go off road, bla, bla, bal, but when Edmunds manages to blow all 4 struts in their ridgeline, going over some dirt roads that are considered light offroading and where Tacoma feels like home, then it becomes really stupid to give "truck" award to ridgeline.

And for the car to not achieve its 1st year target, it means it is an flop. 5th year is fine, 1st year is terrible.

 

I sat in a new Civic and thought the interior and exterior are GREAT especially the Si.

The Si also has the front limited slip diff which all but eliminates torque steer and lessens understeer apparently. Supposed to be a blast to drive!

 

yeah wasn't a big fan of the civic at first, but my goodness.....that car is crisp and actually "fun" to drive