Honda Sweeps Car, Truck Awards With Civic, Ridgeline

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By TERRY KOSDROSKY and JOHN D. STOLL
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
January 8, 2006 2:58 p.m.

DETROIT -- The U.S. arm of Honda Motor Co. won both the North American Car of the Year and Truck of the Year awards Sunday at the North American International Auto Show, the first time an auto maker has swept both categories since the award began in 1993.

A jury of 49 automotive journalists gave top honors to the 2006 Honda Civic and Honda Ridgeline pickup truck.

The Honda sweep shut out Detroit's auto makers for an award given in the Big Three's back yard. The Civic beat out significant new products from General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., increasing the cache of cars produced by foreign auto makers.

GM's Pontiac Solstice and Ford's Fusion are considered game-changers for two auto makers trying to boost their positions in the medium and small car markets. GM and Ford are struggling to restore profitability in North America in part because of a steady lose of market share to foreign competitors with leaner cost structures.

The Ridgeline pickup truck, criticized by some for being overpriced, beat out Ford's Explorer and Nissan Motor Co.'s Xterra.

John Mendel, senior vice president of auto operations for American Honda Motor Inc., said the sweep was a surprise, since the Civic and Ridgeline also swept Motor Trend's 2005 Car and Truck of the year.

Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Inc. said the Civic award is especially gratifying since the auto maker feels the 2001 Civic fell short of expectations.

"Consumers told us with the launch of the "01 Civic that we missed the mark," he said. "We had to put it back in the market where it needed to be."

Mr. Mendel said Honda hopes to sell 300,000 Civics in North America this year, which would be in line with sales results of the past two years.

Not as hot a seller is the Ridgeline, which has won awards but lagged in sales compared with other pickup trucks. But Mr. Colliver said the Ridgeline slightly beat Honda's sales expectations in its first year and expects sales to pick up.

"It's about building momentum," he said.

DETROIT (Reuters) - Honda Motor Corp. swept the top honors at the Detroit auto show on Sunday as its all-new Civic and first-ever pickup, the Ridgeline, were voted car and truck of the year by a panel of automotive writers.

The result marked another setback for Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp., which have been losing market share to Japanese competitors in their home market and have pledged to mount a comeback in the passenger car market.

The Ford Fusion and the Pontiac Solstice had been the other finalists for the North American Car of the Year award, given by a panel of 49 car writers from the United States and Canada.

The revamped 2006 Civic and the Ridgeline, Honda's first truck offering, had also won vehicle of the year honors from trade magazine Motor Trend, giving Honda a first-of-its-kind sweep in all four major awards and an important marketing tool to attract new buyers.

"I don't know how you can top this. We certainly hoped for one, didn't expect two (awards)," said John Mandel, senior vice president at American Honda. "Words can't express the excitement. It's the first time it's ever been done, I believe."

The Ridgeline, which Honda introduced in April, is on track to meet the company's target for 50,000 unit sales in North America in the first full year, Mandel said.

Honda has promoted its first entry into the truck market, which features a relatively short bed and roomier passenger cabin, in part on the basis of its responsive handling and safety features.

Honda expects to sell more than 300,000 Civics in 2006, Mandel said, adding that sales since the revamped model's launch had benefited from renewed consumer attention to fuel economy.

The Civic also comes in a hybrid version, offering 49 miles per gallon for city driving and 51 miles per gallon on the highway.

"Sales have been phenomenal. It's really hit the ground running," Mandel said of the Civic.

The full-time auto writers who voted on the vehicle-of-the- year awards assigned points to each entrant on the basis of ride, performance, safety and value considerations.

The Civic Coupe price starts at $14,360, while the Ridgeline starts at $27,700 before optional features.

Just wondering whether if the novelty of the Civic's recent release has something to do with winning the awards. Its just like the Japanese Car of the Year Awards which the EK Civic won in 1996, which I found quite baffling since it wasn't better stylewise compared to the departing EG.

[nugundam93]

don't like the ridgeline.