Honda will begin making the Ridgeline pickup at its Alabama assembly plant next year, another sign of activity for a booming state auto manufacturing industry that has seen its jobs increase 80 percent since 2001.

The Japanese automaker informed employees of the new production plans during meetings at its Lincoln plant. Honda now builds two vehicles at the facility: the Odyssey minivan and the Pilot sport utility, which has been redesigned.

The Ridgeline, introduced in 2005, is Honda’s only pickup, and has several features that set it apart from other trucks in its class, said Jim Hossack, a consultant with California-based market researcher AutoPacific.

Those features include a cab and bed that are one unit, as opposed to separate, and a small bed with a useful trunk at the bottom. The truck is relatively expensive to build and costly to buy, as far as its peers go, but it offers an unusually good ride, Hossack said.

“It’s more carlike, less trucklike,” he said. “To some that’s an advantage and to some it’s not.”
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here’s the list of cars made in the USA by “import” manufacturers
so do not need pay 6.5% duty tax
canadian or mexico manuf cars are not listed:

Acura TL – Marysville, Ohio
BMW X5 – Spartanburg, South Carolina
BMW Z4 – Spartanburg, South Carolina
Honda Accord – Marysville, Ohio
Honda Civic – East Liberty, Ohio
Honda Element – East Liberty, Ohio
Honda Odyssey – Lincoln, Alabama
Honda Pilot – Lincoln, Alabama
Mercedes-Benz M-Class – Vance, Alabama
Mercedes-Benz R-Class – Vance, Alabama
Mazda 6 – Flat Rock, Michigan
Mazda B-Series – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mazda Tribute – Kansas City, Missouri
Hyundai Sonata – Montgomery, Alabama
Hyundai Santa Fe – Montgomery, Alabama
Infiniti QX56 – Canton, Mississippi
Isuzu Ascender – Moraine, Ohio and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Isuzu i-Series Pickup – Shreveport, Louisiana
Mitsubishi Eclipse – Normal, Illinois
Mitsubishi Endeavor – Normal, Illinois
Mitsubishi Galant – Normal, Illinois
Mitsubishi Raider – Warren, Michigan
Nissan Altima – Smyrna, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi
Nissan Armada – Canton, Mississippi
Nissan Frontier – Smyrna, Tennessee
Nissan Maxima – Smyrna, Tennessee
Nissan Pathfinder – Smyrna, Tennessee
Nissan Quest – Canton, Mississippi
Nissan Titan – Canton, Mississippi
Nissan Xterra – Smyrna, Tennessee
Saab 9-7X – Moraine, Ohio
Subaru Baja – Lafayette, Indiana
Subaru B9 Tribeca – Lafayette, Indiana
Subaru Legacy – Lafayette, Indiana
Subaru Outback – Lafayette, Indiana
Toyota Avalon – Georgetown, Kentucky
Toyota Camry – Georgetown, Kentucky
Toyota Camry Solara – Georgetown, Kentucky
Toyota Corolla – Fremont, California
Toyota Sequoia – Princeton, Indiana
Toyota Sienna – Princeton, Indiana
Toyota Tundra – Princeton, Indiana
Toyota Tacoma – Fremont, California

Six hybrid electric vehicles models made either by joint venture automakers or local Chinese automakers will be sold in Chinese market next year, Chinese newspaper reported.

1. Honda’s Civic hybrid vehicle will be imported to Chinese market by the end of this year and it will be priced at $22,000-$25,000. The vehicle is powered by 1.3 Liter i-VETC engine and IMA, electromotor, nickel-hydrogen battery, and power control unit. The maximum output and torque of this vehicle is equivalent to that of a 1.8 liter gasoline engine.

Experts say the vehicle can run 31 kilometers on one liter gas and that it consumes half as much gasoline as a conventional 1.8 liter vehicle does.

Honda’s joint venture Dongfeng Honda is also planning to locally produce Honda Civic Hybrid which is similar to the imported hybrid in China next year. So for, Honda has sold more than 100,000 Civic Hybrid vehicles worldwide.

2. General Motors chairman Wagoner announced in Beijing earlier this month his companywill start local production of Chevrolet brand hybrid vehicle in China next year. The vehicle is developed by the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center, a joint research facility between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive. Shanghai GM did not release estimated prices for this vehicle, but Wagoner said it should not be too expensive.

The vehicle is powered by a 2.4 liter straight-four engine. The vehicle’s maximum output is 125kw/6400rpm, maximum torque is 225Nm/48000rpm and maximum velocity is 210km/h.

3. BYD’s F6DM will be the first iron battery powered vehicle throughout the world. The dual mode vehicle, priced at $20,000, will hit Chinese market next year. The vehicle can run as long as 430 kilometers after recharging (100 kilometers on electricity-powered mode and 330 kilometers on hybrid mode). The output of this vehicle is 200 KW and maximum velocity is 160 km/hour; it consumes 15 KWH to run 100 kilometers.

The first Hybrid vehicle that entered Chinese market is Toyota Prius, which started production in Changchun-based FAW-Toyota at the end of 2005. But the sales of this hybrid vehicle are abysmally small.

In the first nine months this year, Toyota Prius sold only 283 units in China. Experts say disappointing sales of Toyota Prius is a result of its prices. It is too expensive and China has not yet offered substantial policy incentives to hybrid vehicle manufacturers and customers.

Toyota’s Prius has been the perennial hybrid player for a few years now and Honda thinks it’s about time to provide it with some competition. Honda has big plans for its next generation hybrid, with annual worldwide sales expected to be in the neighborhood of 200,000 – half of which are destined to find homes in the garages of North American consumers.

Unlike the Civic Hybrid which has put a very small dent in the Prius’ success, the new model will only be available with a hybrid system and is rumored to take its styling cues from the FCX fuel-cell vehicle set to begin production next year. This new model will be joined by another hybrid based off the CR-Z concept that debuted in Tokyo.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]