Honda big winner at Detroit Auto Show

[bigdave269]

DETROIT AUTO SHOW
Honda wins North American car, truck of the year

DETROIT (AFX) - US automakers were dealt another bit of bad news Sunday as the prestigious North American Car of The Year Award was presented to Honda Motor Co for its Civic while Truck of the Year went to the Honda Ridgeline.

The awards are presented by a panel of 49 independent automotive journalists from various publications representing the US and Canada.

The awards are designed to recognize the most outstanding vehicles of the year based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. To be eligible vehicles must be 'all new' or 'substantially changed' from the previous model.

'With this new generation Civic, Honda has reasserted itself as a leader in styling, technology and value, said Matt DeLorenzo, a member of the award jury.

The Ford Fusion sedan was a finalist for the car award, while the Explorer SUV was ranked in the finalists for the truck award.

Despite being passed over, Mark Fields, the president of Ford Motor Co's Americas business unit, said he is not concerned about the company's inability to land one of the awards.

'We're going to come out with a lot of confidence and with a lot of great products in the marketplace, Fields told AFP. 'We are stepping up to the game.'

newsdesk@afxnews.com

afp/bam

[stinger]

Motor Trend truck of the year 2006
-North American Truck of the year 2006
-Detroit News truck of the year 2006
-Consumer Reports top rated truck
-JD Power & Associates 2005 APEAL award for the Honda Ridgeline
-Autobytel 2006 Editors' Choice Award: Truck of the year 2006
-Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) Best New Pickup 2006
-On Wheels Incorporated: Ridgeline 2006 Urban Wheel Award for the Urban Truck of the Year
-best rollover resistance rating of any pickup tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
-first-ever 4-door pickup to earn a 5-star safety rating for both front and side impact crash test performance from the U.S. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA).
-Car And Driver Rates Honda Ridgeline #1 Pickup.
- AutoWeek Editors' Choice Award as the 'Most Significant' new vehicle in the show
-Maxim Truck Of The Year 2006.

THIS IS JUST NOT FAIR :cry:
:lol: :lol:

[bigdave269]

Here's another one: CNN is listing the Ridgeline as one of "six intriguing cars from 2005." Their comments are mixed, but they do like the truck.

[lamric]

Honda Cleans Up
Civic, Ridgeline named 2006 Car and Truck of the Year

By DALE JEWETT | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Published 01/08/06, 1:34 pm et
CLICK BELOW FOR MORE:
>> 2006 DETROIT AUTO SHOW HOME PAGE




DETROIT -- Honda Division swept the 2006 North American Car and Truck of the Year awards on Sunday, with honors going to the redesigned Civic small car and the unconventional Ridgeline truck.

The Civic beat out the Ford Fusion sedan and Pontiac Solstice roadster for the Car of the Year award. Jurors gave the Civic 244 points out of a possible maximum of 490 points.

For the Truck of the Year award, the Ridgeline won out over two redesigned SUVs, the Ford Explorer and Nissan Xterra. The Ridgeline received 296 points out of a possible 490.

The awards were handed out Sunday morning during the first press preview day of the North American International Auto Show.

This is the first year that the Honda Division has won the award. The Honda Element was a truck of the year finalist in 2003, and the Honda Insight hybrid was a car of the year finalist in 2001. Acura, the luxury division of Honda Motor Co., won a truck of the year award in 2001 for the Acura MDX SUV.


The redesigned Civic, launched last autumn, is slightly bigger and heavier than the model is replaces. Under the hood is a lineup of new four-cylinder engines, ranging from a 140-hp, 1.8-liter unit to a 197-hp, 2.0-liter engine used in the reborn Si performance trim level. Honda also offers the Civic with natural gas-fueled and hybrid powertrains. Civic sales fell 0.3 percent in 2005 to 308,415 units.

Honda developed the Ridgeline to compete in the important pickup segment in the United States, even though it didn't have a body-on-frame platform. So the automaker started with the underpinnings of its Honda Pilot/Acura MDX SUVs. The Ridgeline's bed can swallow sheets of plywood and the four-door cab has seating for five. But it's the little touches that have grabbed the most attention, such as the covered storage well built into the truck bed. But for all the attention, Ridgeline sales haven't met Honda's initial expectations. Honda sold 42,593 Ridgelines in 2005. The culprit -- a high price. Power comes from a 247-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 engine.

The three finalists in each category were the top vote getters from a field of 14 cars and 14 trucks that were all-new or significantly redesigned and launched in 2005. Votes were cast by a panel of 49 full-time automotive journalists. The jury panel includes Automotive News Executive Editor Edward Lapham and Senior Writer Dale Jewett.

Each juror has 25 points to divide among the car of the year candidates, and 25 points for the truck of the year candidates. In each category, only one vehicle can get the maximum award of 10 points.

One year ago, the Chrysler 300 was named North American Car of the Year, and the Ford Escape Hybrid was named North American Truck of the Year.

2006 North American Car of the Year Finalists:

Ford Fusion

Base Price: $17,795

Powertrain: 2.2-liter, 160-hp, 150-lb-ft I4; fwd; five-speed automatic

Honda Civic

Base Price: $15,110 (sedan)

Powertrain: 1.8-liter, 140-hp, 128-lb-ft I4; fwd; five-speed manual

Pontiac Solstice

Base Price: $19,995

Powertrain: 2.4-liter, 177-hp, 166-lb-ft I4; rwd; five-speed manual

2006 North American Truck of the Year Finalists:

Ford Explorer

Base Price: $27,175

Powertrain: 4.0-liter, 210-hp, 254-lb-ft V6; rwd/4wd; five-speed automatic

Honda Ridgeline

Base Price: $28,320

Powertrain: 3.5-liter, 247-hp, 245-lb-ft V6; 4wd; five-speed automatic

Nissan Xterra

Base Price: $20,530

Powertrain: 4.0-liter, 265-hp, 284-lb-ft V6; rwd/4wd; five-speed automatic

[colorider]

Moved from General

[kahnartist]

I quote from the San Jose Mercury News:
Two Honda vehicles-the Civic sedan and the Ridgeline pickup were chosen as the car and truck of the year at the North American International Auto Show. The awards were presented Sunday.
It is the first time in the award's 12 year history that both winners were from the same automaker. The winners were chosen by a group of 49 full-time automotive journalists from the US/canada. More than 50 cars and trucks were eligible.

The otehr two finalists for car of the year: Ford Fusion/Pantiac Solstice. Two finalists for truck of the year: Ford Explorer and Nissan Xterra.

Glad we all knew FIRST that our truck was a winner....!!!!

[colorider]

Sheeesh - this is about the 4th post/new thread for the same item.

I know we are excited, but.......................

:roll:

Merged with earlier thread(s)