At its Detroit auto show press conference, Honda chose to talk more about its product lineup—from aircraft to robotic technology—than its current and future automotive offerings.
But on the screen behind Honda's American executive vice president John Mendel were two sketches that confirmed our suspicions that a new Pilot sport-utility vehicle and Ridgeline pickup truck aren't too far from production. Mendel confirmed that the 2016 Pilot will arrive in 2015, while details about the unibody Ridgeline truck were less clear.
From the sketch of the Pilot, we can see a potentially more stylized version than the slab-sided model on sale now. A graceful character line enhances its profile. It retains the squarish kink of the current model, while rounding off and flattening the hood area.
The sketch of the Ridgeline pickup trucks differs little from the one Honda released almost a year ago. It looks to be bolder and more front-heavy than the current model, which could give it the necessary stance to compete with the coming crop of muscular pickup trucks from automakers around the world. It won't come a moment too soon, as the most recent Ridgeline—originally a 2005 model—was recently retired from Honda's lineup.
Both the Pilot and Ridgeline currently share chassis architecture with the Odyssey minivan, and the Accord sedan by extension.
See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?
