[EighteenMPG]

Honda sold roughly 18,000 Ridgelines in 2013, through about 1,000 U.S. dealers.

Let's do the math. If distribution were equal at the dealers, this means each dealer sold only 18 ridgelines during the whole year, or 1.5 per month.

The plant in Lincoln, Alabama has an astounding production rate, and can churn out roughly 1,000 vehicles every single day of a 365-day year. The plant produces the Odessy, Pilot, the Ridgeline, and some other SUV. Obviously, the huge majority of those produced are NOT Ridgelines.

But production is done to match demand, and if demand is that paltry 1.5 vehicles per dealer per month, that is what will get produced.

So how many will Honda build? Will they start out betting that there is pent-up demand from the model having had an almost two-year hiatus? Will they bet that they can beat the sales of their best-ever year, which I believe was 2013?

Will they front-load the supply? Who knows.

 

[Carsmak]

Not sure where you got the 18,000 number and how you came up with that was the best year of RL sales, but unless your only considering RL's manufactured HMA, oh and that other vehicle is the ACURA MDX.

Here's one source of RL sales numbers, Honda Ridgeline Sales Figures - GOOD CAR BAD CAR which are also listed on the RL WIKI, but to me the fact that by 2013, I don't think I'd seen an ad for the RL in 3-5 years, and for the most part, the RL had only minor updates, in almost 8 years, with things like the NAVI Head unit being able to be traced to the ACURA line of SUV's from 2003.

 

[Carsmak]

I suspect, there is a buffer of PILOT's & ODYSSEY's to allow HMA to build enough RL's to see where the first 30-90 days of sales determine where production needs to focus.

YMMV

 

[davidnd1]

Honda sold roughly 18,000 Ridgelines in 2013, through about 1,000 U.S. dealers.

Let's do the math. If distribution were equal at the dealers, this means each dealer sold only 18 ridgelines during the whole year, or 1.5 per month.

The plant in Lincoln, Alabama has an astounding production rate, and can churn out roughly 1,000 vehicles every single day of a 365-day year. The plant produces the Odessy, Pilot, the Ridgeline, and some other SUV. Obviously, the huge majority of those produced are NOT Ridgelines.

But production is done to match demand, and if demand is that paltry 1.5 vehicles per dealer per month, that is what will get produced.

So how many will Honda build? Will they start out betting that there is pent-up demand from the model having had an almost two-year hiatus? Will they bet that they can beat the sales of their best-ever year, which I believe was 2013?

Will they front-load the supply? Who knows.

When production began, local media said the plant could build 210 a day.

 

[zroger73]

When production began, local media said the plant could build 210 a day.

In addition to regular production of the other models or if they only built Ridgelines?

 

[davidnd1]

In addition to regular production of the other models or if they only built Ridgelines?

They did not say. The link to the article is below.

'A new truck to love' is the pitch, but will it sell? | AL.com

 

[Carsmak]

In addition to regular production of the other models or if they only built Ridgelines?

My guess is that's in addition to other production, HMA has a stated capacity of 340,000 and different sources state that last year actual production was 349,316.

So using 349k as an actual number, and subtracting typical 6 company holidays (President's, Memorial, Fourth, Labor, Thanksgiving, & Christmas) along with many auto plants will have 2 week shutdowns, some longer, which in total subtracts 16 days from a 365 day year. HMA for ease of conversation built 1000 vehicles per day last year.

 

[Ledebuhr1]

From the Article it sounds like they could make 210 Ridgelines a day. I believe they started production on April 25th. I'm not sure if the plant works 7 days a week or not. They could have easily produced 3000 Ridgelines by now.

 

[larryr]

From the plant tour in 2010 - they stated that they averaged 800 vehicles per day.

It is most likely that the 210 Ridgeline number is how many parts they can get from suppliers per day. Just cause I can build 800 does not mean I can get 800 composite beds delivered every day.

The almost on time delivery ( they call it Just In Time but we know better ) can cause the manufacturing to make something else today instead of what I wanted to make.

 

[EighteenMPG]

At 210 per day they could make enough in a month to give each of the 1,000 U.S. dealerships FOUR, and have enough left over to satisfy Canada.

And if they kept it up at that rate, and dealers sold what they got, Honda would have a year like their best-ever, which was 2006.

It amazes me that so few of these get sold. Will the new look, much more acceptable to the average pickup truck buyer, be what is needed to knock sales up to the 150K per year number? We'll see.

 

[rdjack21]

I don't think the target market is the average truck buyer but the SUV buyer that would like to bed to carry that mulch in instead of putting it in the back of the SUV where it will smell up said SUV for the next week.

I don't think the average pickup buyer will be impressed with this new Ridgline when they can get very similar features at similar price points (after discounts not sticker) in a full size truck. So the real question is what will the SUV buyer think and do they need the bed or want the bed.

While I loved my G1 this new G2 is not for me. It has gone to far into the Acura side of the fence. Don't get me wrong I like luxury but I would prefer more of a truck like luxury think King Ranch or Platinum F150 where the interior while top of the line is still truck like in feel not Acura or car like in feel and I think this is what will turn off some of those SUV buyers as well. But having said that it will appeal to the same buyer that is looking at the Pilot which is not the typical SUV either so who knows only time will tell if they made the right choice or not for the market they are trying to target. It's just that some of the market that the G1 appealed to will not like this new G2 or the direction is has gone. The G1 was more truck like both in looks and feel where this new G2 is more of a SUV instead of a truck and at that a SUV that is also aimed at a different market than the typical Tahoe or Jeep grand Cherokee.

 

[DSERVIT]

From the Article it sounds like they could make 210 Ridgelines a day. I believe they started production on April 25th. I'm not sure if the plant works 7 days a week or not. They could have easily produced 3000 Ridgelines by now.

Production started May 5

 

[davidnd1]

Production started May 5

There is another post in this forum where a guy saw them being unloaded in Utah. He sent a picture to his sales guy and said the sales manager called him back and told him they would go on sale Memorial Day and each dealer in Utah would have two for sale. Start looking at your dealer and their reserve lot. I get different stories from different dealers.

 

[JJ13]

Joe also stated that May 5th was the "press" production date. April 25th was the date he said to be actual production.

 

[EighteenMPG]

The average pickup is a crew cab with a short bed, and is rarely used to pick up anything other than groceries and beer.

From the side and rear, the old Ridgeline simply looked wierd, and off-putting to most pickup buyers. That is all gone with the new one. I hope Honda is preparing for at least a 75k-unit surge in the first 12 months.

 

[ScooterS]

It is interesting that Honda seems to be shipping them out as soon as they come off the line. As I recall, when they launch an new model, Ford normally makes a large batch and holds them near the plant until they go over them with a fine toothed comb (supposedly). They then release them as a batch to the dealers.

Using that logic, I wonder if Honda is really good or really a risk-taker....

 

[FTM1]

The average pickup is a crew cab with a short bed, and is rarely used to pick up anything other than groceries and beer.

From the side and rear, the old Ridgeline simply looked wierd, and off-putting to most pickup buyers. That is all gone with the new one. I hope Honda is preparing for at least a 75k-unit surge in the first 12 months.

I don't know how many units but I strongly agree with you. I think the G2 Ridgeline is going to sell well. The more traditional looks will be far more important than off-road ability to many potential buyers. I wonder how soon will we start seeing TV commercials and magazine ads for & other print ads for Ridgeline.

 

[DSERVIT]

There is another post in this forum where a guy saw them being unloaded in Utah. He sent a picture to his sales guy and said the sales manager called him back and told him they would go on sale Memorial Day and each dealer in Utah would have two for sale. Start looking at your dealer and their reserve lot. I get different stories from different dealers.

I saw that post. He spotted the carrier on the 12th. Could RLs produced on the 5th or later already be in UT? Not sure but it seems odd that the plant would stage this big coming out party complete with cheering employees on the 5th if production had started almost 2 weeks prior.
If 3000 RL had already been produced by the 13th, I would think we would have many more sightings of carriers. Anything is possible I suppose.

 

[FTM1]

I saw that post. He spotted the carrier on the 12th. Could RLs produced on the 5th or later already be in UT? Not sure but it seems odd that the plant would stage this big coming out party complete with cheering employees on the 5th if production had started almost 2 weeks prior.
If 3000 RL had already been produced by the 13th, I would think we would have many more sightings of carriers. Anything is possible I suppose.

Well May 11TH was National Twilight Zone Day maybe we saw some paranormal stuff going on with Honda and it's associates strange auto carriers loaded with Ridgeline trucks in Utah possibly headed off in the Twilight Zone.

 

[csimo]

There are G2 Ridgeline's on dealer lots right now.