Production of the long-awaited, redesigned Honda Pilot began Thursday at the Japanese automaker's plant in Lincoln, Ala.
The
automaker expects that pent up demand for the new model and a new, more
modern look for the popular three-row SUV will lead to a sales surge,
enabling the company to sell about 120,000 annually, about an 11%
increase over its sales in 2014.
"Candidly, we could not be more
excited or confident in the capabilities of this new vehicle," said John
Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda.
Mendel said
the 2016 Honda Pilot will be on sale at dealerships by June 18. The
Pilot will sell for $29,995 to $46,420, excluding destination charges.
The
Pilot has been a top-seller for Honda for the past 13 years. The
automaker has sold 1.4 million Pilots in North America since it was
introduced in 2002, accounting for a quarter of the brand's light truck
sales.
But the automaker hasn't redesigned the Pilot since 2008. Mendel said the new Pilot is designed to appeal to two different sets of buyers.
"One
is more family focused and the other is much more individual and
adventure focused," Mendel said. "We've got trims targeted to appeal to
both of those sets of buyers."
Mendel said the 2016 Pilot has a
more spacious and family-friendly cabin, a more powerful and efficient
new powertrain, and more advanced technology and premium features than
ever before.
The Pilot is getting a new 3.5-liter direct injection V6 engine with cylinder deactivation technology.
The
engine is the same as the one in the latest generations of the Honda
Accord sedan and Acura MDX, but is tuned for the Pilot. There are also
two new transmissions: A six-speed automatic for the lower trim levels
and a 9-speed — a first for the Honda brand — for the more expensive
versions.
Honda makes the Pilot at a 3.7-million-square-foot plant in Lincoln
alongside the Honda Odyssey minivan, Ridgeline pickup and Acura MDX
crossover.
The plant has an annual production capacity of about 360,000 vehicles.
Over
the past three years Honda has invested more than $508 million to
improve production at that plant to make its production process more
flexible. The investments included $71 million in an engine production
plant that can now make 1,500 V-6 engines per day.
Modern, refined and confidently capable new Pilot launching this summer
Advanced and efficient Earth Dreams Technology™ powertrains
Class-leading safety features, fuel efficiency and driving dynamics
A host of new technologies and even more packaging flexibility
The all-new 2016 Honda Pilot SUV made its global premiere today at
the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. Reengineered and redesigned in America, the
2016 Honda Pilot delivers more family-friendly utility, more advance
technology and more premium attributes and amenities than ever before,
boasting class-leading safety features, fuel efficiency and confident
driving dynamics in a thoroughly modern, stylish and sophisticated new
package.
The all-new 2016 Pilot, launching at Honda dealerships nationwide
this summer, is the third generation of Honda's three-row midsize SUV to
be designed, developed and manufactured in America. Reinforcing 2015 as
the "Year of Honda," Pilot further strengthens Honda's SUV/CUV triple
threat by joining the exceptionally well received 2015 CR-V (2015 Motor Trend SUV of the Year) and greatly anticipated new 2016 HR-V.
"With looks that command attention and the powerful presence of true
functionality, the 2016 Pilot sets a new benchmark in the midsize SUV
class with an unmatched combination of sophistication and utility," said
Jeff Conrad, Honda Division senior vice president and general manager.
"This means the all-new Pilot will comfort, entertain and assist active
families in all aspects of their lives, whether it's an evening out for
two, a road trip adventure for all or just the chores of everyday life."
Premium Style and Features The all-new design of
the 2016 Pilot sports a modern, sleek, yet commanding and muscular form
incorporating new premium features, including optional brighter and
more efficient LED projector headlights with auto high beam technology,
available signature LED daytime running lights and taillights, plus
available 20-inch wheels and a first-ever panoramic roof option. The
premium quality of the new Pilot carries over to the interior, where
designers have applied high-quality, soft- touch materials throughout
the cabin and added thoughtful details such as LED map lighting.
Additional high-end amenities include available heated and ventilated
front seats, a heated steering wheel and heated second-row seats. For
the first time, upper-trim Pilot models will have available two
second-row captain's chairs, providing for easy walk through between the
second and third rows, in addition to the standard second-row
three-person 60/40 split seat for 8-passenger seating capacity.
Advanced Technology The new Pilot delivers the
connectivity and power access that the modern family demands, including
up to five USB ports, four that provide better recharging with 2.5-amp
output, to charge iPads or smartphones while in use. Additional ports
and plugs include an auxiliary jack for nearly any audio player, an HDMI
port for a gaming console, two headphone jacks, two 12-volt power
outlets and a 115-volt outlet to power just about anything.
The new Pilot also incorporates Honda's latest thinking for advanced,
family-friendly technology, including an upsized 8-inch capacitive
touchscreen Display Audio telematics interface powered by a new
Android-based operating system and more powerful processor, along with
an available all-new embedded Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System™.
The new navigation system features improved graphics and new
capabilities, including 3D renderings of terrain, buildings and road
signs, improved lane guidance, live search function, 911 emergency
services and more.
The Pilot's Display Audio system enables simplified smartphone
connectivity making for easier access to all the features and
connectivity options of the HondaLink™ connected-car system. A 9-inch
rear entertainment system with DVD and new Blu-Ray disc™ capability is
available.
Family-Friendly Utility The new Pilot builds on
its reputation for best-in-class interior space, versatility and utility
with 3.5 inches of added overall vehicle length, enabling a larger
cargo area that can hold an 82-quart cooler without compromising
third-row seating capability, a segment-exclusive feature. Third-row
entry and exit is made even easier and more intuitive courtesy of an
available one-touch walk-in second-row seat that slides and tilts to its
forward-most position at the touch of a button. As compared with the
current Pilot, the width of the lower portion of the third-row entryway
has been increased by 2.5 inches with 1-inch lower step-over height.
The Pilot's new center console features a cavernous storage
compartment capable of accommodating items as large as a full-size iPad
or large purse. And with its seamless cover in the closed position, the
console provides a convenient, non-slip surface for items that the
driver or front passenger may need close at hand.
Earth Dreams Technology™ Powertrain The 2016
Pilot delivers more refined, powerful and fuel-efficient performance
than ever before courtesy of its new 3.5-liter, direct-injected i-VTEC®
V-6 engine with Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM™) cylinder
deactivation technology. For improved fuel efficiency, the Pilot will
include available Idle Stop technology that shuts off the engine when
the vehicle is stopped, instantly and smoothly restarting the engine
when the driver lifts their foot off the brake pedal. The new engine is
mated to one of two advanced new transmissions – a Pilot-first 6-speed
automatic transmission, or on upper trims, a Honda-first 9-speed
automatic transmission – both delivering notably refined, responsive and
fuel-efficient performance. The new Pilot will be available in
front-wheel and all-wheel-drive configurations and will feature a
completely new Honda all-wheel-drive system that delivers even more
confident, efficient and dynamic all-weather performance.
The new Pilot is almost 300 pounds lighter than the outgoing model;
its more rigid, tightly sealed yet lighter body in combination with new,
efficient powertrains, a new all-wheel-drive system and class-leading
aerodynamics result in class-leading dynamic performance and fuel
efficiency along with a new level of cabin quietness befitting its
status as a premium family SUV.
Advanced Safety Performance In keeping with
Honda's commitment to safety, the new Pilot will feature the most
comprehensive set of advanced safety and driver-assistive technologies
ever offered on a Honda vehicle. Together these technologies make up
Honda Sensing™, a suite of technologies designed to expand the driver's
situational awareness while sensing and responding to potential road
hazards, including other vehicles, road obstacles and even pedestrians,
mitigating the possibility or severity of a collision. It includes
Honda's popular LaneWatch™ display, Blind Spot Indicators, a standard
Multi-Angle Rear View Camera, and available Collision Mitigation Braking
System™ (CMBS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Forward Collision Warning
(FCW), Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS), Rear Cross Traffic Monitor,
Adaptive Cruise Control and a Honda-first Road Departure Mitigation
(RDM) system.
The new Pilot is expected to deliver the highest safety ratings in
its class and targets a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National
Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating
from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), including a
GOOD rating in all crash modes. The new Pilot incorporates Honda's
next-generation Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body
structure, designed to more efficiently absorb and disperse the energy
from a frontal collision, along with a new ultra-high-strength door ring
designed to help better protect occupants. The 2016 Pilot also
incorporates an all-new 3-bone platform while also utilizing high and
ultra-high strength body materials, which together reduce noise,
vibration and harness (NVH), improve handling, increase rigidity and
reduce weight.
Standard safety and driver-assistive features include four-channel
anti-lock brakes (ABS) with Brake Assist and Hill Start Assist; Vehicle
Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with Traction Control; an Expanded View
Driver's Mirror; dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags, driver
and front passenger SmartVent™ side airbags and side-curtain airbags for
all outboard seating positions; and a new Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS) with real-time display of individual tire pressures.
All-American Honda Pilot All three generations
of the Honda Pilot have been designed and developed in America by Honda
R&D Americas, Inc. at its Los Angeles design studio and Raymond,
Ohio, vehicle development center. The Pilot and its engine are
manufactured at Honda's Lincoln, Alabama auto plant. In 2014, nearly 98
percent of all Honda-brand vehicles were produced in North America.
The Pilot joins the Honda CR-V – 2015 Motor Trend SUV of the
Year and America's best-selling SUV for eight of the past 11 years –
the popular Odyssey minivan and the dynamic new HR-V crossover,
launching this spring, in Honda's growing lineup of innovative light
truck offerings. An all-new Honda Ridgeline pickup will join the Honda
lineup within the next two years. All Honda light truck models are
produced in North America using domestic and globally sourced parts.
Well, quite the reveal;
-Moonroof with rear Panoramic Roof
-Heated Steering Wheel
-Blueray/DVD
-5X USB's (4 Capable of charging devices)
-3.5L Direct Injection V6 w/Variable Cylinder Mgmt (deactivates from 6 to 3 cylinders)
-Idle Stop
-2X Different Transmissions; 6 Speed Automatic and a 9 Speed Automatic
among other things....
Mendel said the new Pilot is designed to appeal to two different sets of buyers.
