Honda Pilot sheds 300 pounds, boxy styling in major overhaul for 2016 - Automotive News
Honda Motor Co. is giving the Pilot a major makeover as part of a three-pronged bid this year to jump-start its lagging U. S. truck sales and cash in on one of the industry’s hottest segments. The Honda brand’s biggest SUV has shed its boxy roots and been refashioned from the ground up. With a body that is 3. 5 inches longer than the outgoing version, a new V-6 engine, two new transmissions, new all-wheel-drive system and additional... Jeff Conrad, Honda Division general manager, in a statement today predicted the redesigned Pilot will set “a new benchmark” for safety, fuel efficiency and driving dynamics in the midsize SUV segment. Along with the new HR-V subcompact crossover that is to go on sale this spring and a redesigned Ridgeline pickup coming in late 2015, the Pilot is a linchpin in Honda’s three-stage effort to reclaim ground in the booming U. S. light-truck market. The Honda CR-V is the top-selling crossover or SUV in the U. S. , but Honda Division’s overall light-truck volume rose just 0. 5 percent last year in an overall U. S. light-truck market that advanced 10 percent. Source: www.autonews.com
