Honda dealers want a full-size SUV and an AWD sedan, report says
Dealers believe there's a market for an SUV positioned above the Pilot and some kind of all-wheel-drive sedan.
Honda has a pretty robust lineup of cars, from compact crossovers to sporty hatchbacks to a minivan and even a midsize truck. But dealers still say there's room for growth and are specifically asking for a full-size SUV and an all-wheel-drive sedan.
"As far as holes in the product lineup, [one place] where we'd like to see product is something larger than the current-generation Pilot ," William Feinstein, chairman of Honda's national dealer advisory board, told Automotive News in an interview last week. "We think there's a market for that."
The Pilot is already pretty large for a midsize crossover, and it competes in a red-hot class that includes SUVs like the Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride , Toyota Highlander and Subaru Ascent. If Honda were to offer an SUV one size larger, it would face some seriously stiff competition from the likes of General Motors ' full-size SUVs -- the Chevy Tahoe, Suburban and GMC Yukon -- in addition to products like the Ford Expedition and Nissan Armada, all of which use robust truck platforms.
Feinstein also thinks "there may be a market for some version of an all-wheel-drive sedan," according to the Automotive News report. "Certainly in the northeast and midwest," he added.
An all-wheel-drive version of the Honda Accord would make a lot of sense, especially as more and more automakers add AWD capability to their midsize sedans. The Subaru Legacy comes standard with all-wheel drive, and the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry recently sprouted AWD variants. Right now, the closest thing Honda has to an AWD sedan is the more expensive Acura TLX .
Elsewhere in the Automotive News interview, Feinstein says dealers are happy with the redesigned Ridgeline pickup. "The issue with the Ridgeline has never been its capabilities or how it drives or its performance. People love the vehicle. It frankly just wasn't packaged well enough for a lot of people," Feinstein said. "I expect the Ridgeline to do very well."
