Alabama Honda employees celebrate building first 2009 Pilot SUV
Alabama's automotive industry marked another milestone Tuesday as Honda's Lincoln assembly plant kicked off mass production of the redesigned Pilot sport utility vehicle, amid cheers, cake and the strains of hard rock music.
Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" was playing as a nimbus gray, top-of-the-line touring edition Pilot rolled off Line 2 at Honda's $1.4 billion, 4,500-worker plant. More than 1,500 members of the work force gathered for the occasion.
The new vehicle is the result of years of research and development by the Japanese automaker. Alabama workers, whose efforts date back to 2005, had a say in how the new Pilot was designed to be manufactured.
Advertisement
"You have built an outstanding vehicle," Frank Paluch, vice president of automotive design at Honda R&D Americas in Ohio, told the employees. "This Pilot is all-business. It's impressive on the outside, the inside and underneath."
The new vehicle, a 2009 model that is expected to hit dealer lots in May, is bigger and boxier than its predecessor, which debuted in 2002 and marked Honda's entry into the midsize SUV market. Since then, Honda has sold almost 750,000 Pilots, and the sport utility has racked up an impressive string of awards.
Also on Tuesday, automotive trade journals weighed in on the vehicle's reincarnation.
Autoblog said that in spite of the "rather barn like" shape, the new model is actually more aerodynamic than the original Pilot, resulting in less wind noise. Other pluses cited include an upgraded, more fuel-efficient engine and improved driving experience.
"Setting aside the Pilot's appearance, the new unit is generally a much better vehicle than the 2008 model," Autoblog says, noting that the 2009 model is designed for function. "(It) isn't likely to set anyone's heart aflutter ... For what this vehicle is supposed to be, it seems very capable."
Edmunds Inside Line says the new Pilot has gotten serious about its sport utility mission as other similar vehicles have given in to being more like all-wheel-drive station wagons.
The vehicle sets itself apart because "it values real utility, not just comfort and convenience. It gets there by applying truck-think - appreciation for practical, intelligent function."
Paluch told employees that the second-generation Pilot is designed to be an "intelligent adventure vehicle," meaning that it will meet the practical needs of families with its eight-passenger seating and advanced safety and fuel efficiency technologies.
In keeping with the "intelligent adventure" theme, Honda distributed to its Alabama employees backpacks embroidered with the message: "The New Pilot Takes Flight."
Eight employees, all representing different parts of the plant, rode in the vehicle as it rolled off the line at 10:05 a.m. The crowd that gathered included Line 2 production workers, as well as business office and support staff.
Honda videotaped the event and plans to replay it for employees on different shifts and in other parts of the plant. Cake also was served to all employees and contractors.
The plant will keep that first vehicle and display it in the welcome center lobby.
With the advent of the 2009 Pilot, the 2008 Pilot hit the end of the road in a rolling model change. The assembly line did not shut down as production of the previous model ceased shortly before the redesigned model rolled out.
It's the second full-model changeover for the Lincoln plant, which also builds Odyssey minivans and soon will produce the Ridgeline pickup. In 2004, the plant turned out a redesigned Odyssey.
The new Pilot will go on sale May 22, pushed up from an original date of June 5.
"We know we have dealers that are already out of the '08 Pilot and are anxious to get the '09 Pilot," plant spokesman Mark Morrison said.
Morrison said Honda executives have praised the Alabama plant's efforts in the Pilot changeover, which has allowed workers to strengthen their skill sets.
"It's a testament to the work force of Alabama to be able to handle the responsibility of a popular vehicle like the Pilot," he said.
E-mail:
dkent@bhamnews.com
Prev
Nice !
Linear Mode
