Published

Honda Rocks, Too

Maybe it has something to do with the start of summer.
#aluminum

Share

Maybe it has something to do with the start of summer. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that last month sales were softening, with Chevrolet Silverado sales down 12.7 percent in May and down 7.0 percent so far for the year compared with last, and GMC Sierra (the separated-at-birth truck from the Chevy) down 7.0 percent for the month but still up 8.6 percent for the year.

But it seems as though dumping large concrete bricks in the beds of trucks is the thing to do at the moment.

2017 Honda Ridgeline

Not blocks in this case.  Watch the video for that (hyperlink below)

Not to be outdone, Honda has gotten into the act with its all-new, 2017 Ridgeline.

To review:

Chevy and GMC have steel beds.

The Ford F-150 has an aluminum bed.

The Honda Ridgeline has a glass-fiber reinforced SMC bed.

(And because the Ridgeline is new, it might be worth pointing out that the payload capacity is 1,584 pounds.)

Honda got ahold of a front loader and performed the drop test.  Which you can see here.

2017 Honda Ridgeline

Under the Ridgeline bed: Sound structure

And as you can see, the engineering plastic—which the company points out doesn’t ever need a bed liner, as it is, in effect, a bed liner onto itself—held up with aplomb.

So contractors everywhere: start dumping your blocks.

RELATED CONTENT

  • On Fuel Cells, Battery Enclosures, and Lucid Air

    A skateboard for fuel cells, building a better battery enclosure, what ADAS does, a big engine for boats, the curious case of lean production, what drivers think, and why Lucid is remarkable

  • Multiple Choices for Light, High-Performance Chassis

    How carbon fiber is utilized is as different as the vehicles on which it is used. From full carbon tubs to partial panels to welded steel tube sandwich structures, the only limitation is imagination.

  • We Can’t Unwatch this McLaren

    While we generally can’t say enough (which brings us close to saying much, much too much) about McLaren Automotive design and its exquisite use of materials, this week the company launched a product that is something we wish we didn’t see: That’s the RM 11-03 McLaren Automatic Flyback Chronograph, which the company debuted at the 88th Geneva International Motor Show.

Gardner Business Media - Strategic Business Solutions