2009 Ridgeline

[lottathought]

Yeah, I know...this topic has been approached before.
And I know we saw the news about the Pilot plant in Alabama churning out new Pilots.

I have a quick question and an observation though.
Has anybody heard of layoffs in the Canada plant?

I started to combine the silence of the 2009 Ridgeline with the expansion of their plants......combined with all these stories of the diesel coming out VERY soon.

It makes me wonder if the reason the 2009 was delayed and is so secret is because Honda had some general, 1st design delays AND ..Honda knows that once they announce the diesel for the 2009 Ridgeline, the 2008 sales will drop like a rock.

Why did I bring up the Alabama plant in the beginning....well..I was wondering if, by moving the Pilot to Alabama, it freed Honda up to refit a larger section of the Canada plant.

I may be way off...but it has been running through my mind lately.

[Tcape]

Honda is moving the Ridgeline production to Alabama. See this thread posted by TMac..... Honda to make major Alabama announcement [3.7.8]

I would imagine that any new developments for the '09 Ridgeline have been slow in coming due to the relocation of RL production from Canada to Alabama. I sure wouldn't be surprised if the '09 models are very late getting to the showrooms. However, it could be that only the 2010 models will be affected by the change.

[WhiteRTLnav]

Relocation of Ridgeline production from Canada to Alabama should have little, if no, impact on the release of the 2009 model. If I remember correctly, Honda converted their assembly process to a more flexible process in which they re-teach their robots instead of re-tooling them. This allows them to adjust to consumer demand as necessary. So, relocating production is not as big of a deal as it is for other manufacturers.

[djeaux]

This earlier thread may be food for thought: 2009 on-the-lot guessing game

[Hound]

"It makes me wonder if the reason the 2009 was delayed and is so secret is because Honda had some general, 1st design delays AND ..Honda knows that once they announce the diesel for the 2009 Ridgeline, the 2008 sales will drop like a rock."[/quote]

...or, Honda is slowly aligning the model year with the other Hondas, and the market in general. I just handed back my '06 steel blue Ridgeline for an '08 cherry red unit which is actually one model year old. Who knows, if Honda pushes back the release date far enough my '08 might get get 'younger'.

Hmmm...If only I could move mine own 'model year' back. Lose a few pounds, wrinkles...

[jtchambliss]

I read somewhere on this board that new trucks are generally available in the summer and new cars in the fall. Last year Honda released the 08 RL in early July to coincide with the other new trucks being introduced by other manufacturers.

I found this production schedule for the 09 Tacoma's:

http://www.donlen.com/buildstart_toyota.html

Too bad we can't stumble upon Honda's schedule

- Jeff

[wrenrj1]

Just an eyeball of gas prices around my town (Lincoln, NE) based on a Google search shows that Diesel is about an average of $4.10 and Unleaded around $3.50. I haven't heard about mileage comparisons between a diesel vs. a gas motor, but based on prices, why would a diesel motor even be an issue in pricing? Who needs a diesel unless they plan to keep their vehicle for a long time, or those that pull trailers (which the RL is limited)?

Consider that the more diesel motors out there the cost of diesel fuel will increase. Just like the price of corn has increased to fulfill the ethanol boom (or eventual bust). Subsequently the cost of food has gone up as a result....Don't get me started on this rant.

[csimo]

Originally Posted by lottathought

I started to combine the silence of the 2009 Ridgeline with the expansion of their plants......combined with all these stories of the diesel coming out VERY soon.

It makes me wonder if the reason the 2009 was delayed and is so secret is because Honda had some general, 1st design delays AND ..Honda knows that once they announce the diesel for the 2009 Ridgeline, the 2008 sales will drop like a rock.

You don't know how much I wish the diesel rumors were true, but I don't think we'll see it until the 2012 model year.

[ChrisM]

Agreed. I did a little math with the specs of the 2.2 liter diesel motor Honda has out for the Accord. I don't think that it has enough gusto to push the Ridgeline. I think we will have to wait for a 6 cylinder version or a slightly bigger 4 cylinder. Maybe Honda will just slap 2 more cylinders on the end and call it a 3.3 liter diesel.

By my guestimate math, they could tune a 3.3 motor to have about 200 hp and about 350 ft lbs of torque based on what I quasi extrapolated from the 2.2's numbers.

Again, my tuning numbers are pure speculation and are meant for entertainment purposes only and don't ask me show my math.

[jtchambliss]

The Honda V6 diesel speculation I've read mentions a 3.5 liter that will be introduced by 2010...when diesel will be $6.00/gallon.