Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) has started the mass production of its new 2017 Ridgeline pickup truck.
The pickup truck is anticipated to go on-sale soon at Honda dealerships nationwide.
It will be manufactured in the same facility in Alabama alongside Honda's light-truck lineup, such as the Pilot sport utility vehicle and Odyssey minivan, as well as the Acura MDX luxury SUV.
The Ridgeline will feature a revised 3.5-liter V6, a new interior, an in-bed trunk, dual action tailgate and the truck bed audio system.
The new system uses six exciters situated inside the bed walls, instead of conventional speakers, generating sound from the Ridgeline's audio head unit, with about 540 watts of power.
Other features of the truck include better edge connectivity with 8-inch Display Audio featuring Apple Car Play and Android Auto compatibility.
Honda will also fit the pickup truck with a 400 watt AC power inverter to charge tools.
HMA president Jeff Tomko said: "Today we celebrate the dedication of our Alabama team in bringing a very innovative new pickup truck to market.
"I congratulate all of our associates for their commitment to our customers as the Ridgeline returns with new features that will deliver even more of what today's truck customers want and need."
Honda said it will continue to strengthen its light-truck family of vehicles in 2016 with the new Ridgeline and a new redesigned Odyssey minivan.
Image: Honda employees at Ridgeline production start event. Photo: Courtesy of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama LLC.
