TACO leads small pickup sales AGAIN in August 2017

Haha it's an internet quarter! Seriously though, the Ridge line and the Pilot are very similar. There are some sheet metal and a few structural differences but engine and platform is same. The key point I would make is it is not standalone. Both are manufactured in the same plant. So if Ridgeline sales are low that's OK because the plant is still running and Pilots are still coming out the door.

I was always intrigued by the Ridge line as an engineer because of the uniqueness of it. And, (dirty little secret) it would be just fine for 90% of the guys who got a Tacoma.

It's faster, has a heavier payload capacity, gets better gas mileage, quieter, more features, etc.

The problem is the visual image. Whether or not people here will admit it, many buy a vehicle for the image it projects. They want to be tough and outdoorsy ( even though they aren't) and, even though they bitch and whine, that image is still more important to them than anything else so they tolerate it.
The other 10% use it as it was built. Take it off road, haul stuff, etc. I have one because I have to go off road some for work, and I've already had it pulled through a tough spot.

 

Right, but there still needs to be a reason to continue to take the time and resources to make another vehicle, no matter how similar it is to another.

Either way, I'm genuinely curious, what sales numbers Honda actually expected (internally) to see from the Ridgeline. While I doubt they expected it to compete with the Tacoma, I also can't imagine they expected it to be a complete non-factor in the truck segment.

 

https://www.consumerreports.org/new-cars/10-of-the-lowest-rated-cars-for-2017/
Consumer Reports is on a mission to destroy the reputation of the Toyota Tacoma. It's still on their top ten list of worst vehicles to buy even though the Tacoma is still the sales leader in the mid size truck market.
Honda must be paying CR big bucks because it's was rated the Best Buy of all the mid size trucks.
Honestly, the ridge line is a good concept but they need to make the truck look more rugged to appeal to truck buyers.

 

Production was about 30,000 for the '17 MY. There is not a lot of extra capacity at the AL plant. There are very few '17 RL on dealer lots left most all Black Editions . Most dealers have 2 maybe 3 '18 RL on the lot. The Toyota dealer down the street where I bought my Taco at has a lot full of discounted '17.

I wish I could find how many days supply of each there are because that is the real story for how much demand there is, not sales #s.

 

Honda specializes in lower volume and production vehicles while Toyota wants to compete with the big 3 American brands in terms of sales volume.
That's why Honda is the stingiest with discounts and rebates on all of their vehicles. Higher profit margins but lower volume.

 

It really all depends on volume required to make a profit. Maybe only 25-30K units are required since (I just did a bit of research) the Pilot, Ridgeline, Acura MDX and Odyssey all share the same platform! Out of the same plant!
That s why I said they probably combine sales numbers.

 

How many have they sold in the last year? My guess is the plant is close to capacity, and the are moving a large portion of production, it's a win for Honda. If it wasn't financially wise, they would have already dumped it and moved on.

 

Yep. Honda wouldn't have made a 2018 ridge line model if it wasn't bringing in profit.
The ridge line cost Honda next to nothing in R&D cost since it shares the same powertrain and platform as the Honda Pilot. It shares the same plant space as three other models at the Alabama plant so it's hard for them to meet demand for 4 models at one time.
Toyota has two plants where the Tacoma is built so they can crank out enough trucks to meet demand.

 

I'm not saying it's not profitable, I'm just curious what Honda, internally, anticipated the actual sales numbers to be. I just can't imagine any major car company coming out with a new vehicle with the expectation of it selling ~2.5k/month in a red hot segment, but maybe I'm wrong. lol

 

That seems to be the case tho. I think they are testing the waters to see how it sales based on previous experiences.

 

They just did the all new redesigned RL a year or two ago so I imagine that it is a disappointment, but i also think it only appeals to a small niche group so maybe their expectations were low.

 

I like the subdued look of the Ridgeline over the machismo Tacoma....honestly looks like it is trying too hard. Had high hopes for the RL, but was looking for over 30 mpg hwy, and a bit more ruggedness offroad. I am one of the few that actually uses my Tacoma as a truck, not sure the Honda of held up after years and years of running down wash board roads like my Tacoma has.

Having own Toyota trucks for the last 26 years, the 3rd gen is a bit of letdown despite of what the masses think. Don't like the overcompenstating looks and patiently waiting for a 30 mpg hwy...don't think it will ever happen. The rest of the world gets the Toyota truck I want, the HiLux...yet we get the watered down chest puffer version.

 

....aaaaaaaaaaand not a truck.
Ridgeline looks like it was made by someone who lost a bet

 

Yuppie Soccer dads. But nothing wrong with that, I guess.

At least his wife won't have to bitch at him for filling up her RX350 with bags of mulch from Lowes.

 

Imagine Hulk Hogan with a Southern accent....
" Hey Bill, I bet you a dollar that I can saw a car and a minivan in half, stick the 2 ends together and chop part of the back off and label it as a truck.... and someone will buy it!"
Bill responds, "no way! Unless maybe if you add some gimmicks, like maybe a cooler and some cute little storage compartment in the back"
Redneck Hogan responds, "what the hell is with the gimmicks and the storage? Oh, well, sounds great!"
Meanwhile, Honda was listening

 

FAKE NEWS

Smitty assured me my truck is a total POS and that Tacomas were "stacking up, unsold, on dealer lots"

 

I've seen a few Ridgelines in my neck of the woods mostly driven by older dudes. I'm almost 58 but personally I'd never be caught driving one. That's just me though...

 

Together sold 92000 units. Not too bad. I've always thought the Taco could use some good old fashioned competition. It should be interesting to see what the new Ford Ranger does.

 

I am comfortable with my masculity, don't really give a chit what others think of me. Would totally own one, however... It just misses the a couple things for me, if they had an extra cab 6' bed with manual tans would seriously consider one, that and better ground clearance.

Colorado is a little closer, would like to try the diesel to get that 30 mpg, but not offered in WT model extra cab, and no manual trans.

Not too keen on the Tacoma's looks, but I can get an ACLB with a manny.

Waiting to see what Ford does with Ranger, but guessing they'll be like everyone else and miss a few marks. Would be stoked with an Extra Cab, 30 mpg, manny trans...but no one can seem to bring it together.

 

Where I live. These 3rd gen trucks are everywhere. The local dealer cannot even keep one on the lot. When I went in for my 1st 8000km service, there was seven Tacos in for the same. I barely see a single GM, Nissan, or Honda. The Taco owns the show for sure.

Clearly all these people don't have the internet to find out how totally crappy these trucks (supposedly) are.

The proof is in the pudding. Let's admit, the 3rd gen Tacoma is immensely popular (in its second year of production) because it's great. If it truly sucked as bad as some seem to think it does, it would be a dead issue by now.