Honda: Ridgeline Here To Stay, Stop Writing Its Obituary

It’s hard to say just where or when the rumor got started, but various media outlets have been speculating on the death of the Honda Ridgeline pickup for some time now, Honda’s been oddly silent on the matter, dismissing the off-hand comment with a terse “we don’t discuss future product plans” denial, at least until now.

In a brief note to the media, Honda’s manager of truck product planning, Sage Marie, states, “In no uncertain terms, the reports in the media that we have plans to discontinue the Ridgeline pickup are false. To the contrary, Ridgeline has a significant role in the Honda lineup and it is expected to continue in the foreseeable future.”

There isn’t much ambiguity in Marie’s statements, but there isn’t much life in current Ridgeline sales, either. In September, Honda moved just 700 units, and year to date has sold only 6,476 Rigeline pickups. That’s about half the number that Honda sold last year through September, and even the discontinued Element crossover is a better seller (and not by a small margin, either).

In his note, Marie points out that the 2012 Honda Ridgeline will get refreshed styling, improved fuel efficiency and a new Sport model, but we’re not sure those changes are enough to lure pickup truck buyers into Honda showrooms. That’s a shame, because we’re fans of the do-it-all compact truck, and we’d encourage anyone who doesn’t need a full-time, heavy duty pickup to give the Ridgeline a test drive.