TL;DR
Get business pricing on garage and car supplies
- Business-only prices and quantity discounts
- Tax-exempt purchasing
- Multiple users, one account, clear invoices
Former Honda exterior design lead Don Herner discussed the first-generation Ridgeline’s development in an interview with YouTuber Jack Bontatibus. Herner said the project began as an internal “Advanced Capabilities Vehicle,” not a conventional truck, and described engineering choices behind its bed, tailgate and other features.
Former Honda designer Don Herner, who led exterior design for the first-generation Ridgeline, has described the pickup’s development in an interview with YouTuber Jack Bontatibus. Herner said the project was not initially treated inside Honda as a conventional truck, but was called the “Advanced Capabilities Vehicle”—a distinction that helps explain the model’s unusual unibody construction and integrated cab-and-bed design.
According to The Drive’s account of the interview, the Ridgeline idea emerged when Herner and other designers began sketching projects during a quiet period. A marketing executive saw some of their pickup concepts and promoted them as a possible production vehicle. Herner said the team’s work was not originally a formal truck program. He recalled that Honda did not have a transmission robust enough for the large wheels and tires often associated with traditional pickups, and said engineers ultimately favored smaller wheel-and-tire combinations to maximize torque at the wheels.
The first-generation Ridgeline arrived in 2005 as a 2006 model. It used a modified version of the contemporary Odyssey platform, a unibody structure and a 3.5-liter V6 paired with a five-speed automatic transmission. The source lists output at 255 horsepower and 252 pound-feet of torque, with a 5,000-pound towing capacity and 1,550-pound payload capacity. Its cargo bed used a fiberglass box, which Herner said was selected with durability in mind.
Herner also described testing and design decisions tied to the bed. The team ran simulations that overloaded it to identify when the rear suspension would fail, he said. The dual-action tailgate mechanism extended almost the full length of the bed to support substantial weight. Other details included fold-up rear seats and a storage space for handbags between the dashboard and center console. The source says the tailgate design continues on current Ridgelines, while the interview’s account does not establish which other original features remain unchanged.
How Honda Reframed the Pickup
Herner’s account offers a designer’s explanation for why the first Ridgeline differed from the body-on-frame pickups that shaped many buyers’ expectations. Rather than starting with conventional truck benchmarks, Honda developed a vehicle around its own engineering limits and priorities, including torque delivery, bed durability and everyday utility. The “Advanced Capabilities Vehicle” label captures that effort to define the product on different terms.
The history matters because the Ridgeline established a distinct place for Honda in the pickup market. The original combined a car-based platform with a practical bed and features intended for daily use. The Drive reports that the present generation remains unibody and retains some of the original’s functional ideas, even as its styling has become more conventional. Herner’s recollections help explain the choices behind that identity, though they are one participant’s account rather than a complete corporate history.
2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline tailgate assist shock kit
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From Sketches to the 2006 Model
Herner joined Honda after graduating from California’s ArtCenter College of Design and interning in General Motors’ Corvette design studio, according to The Drive. His other work included the third-generation Acura Integra and first-generation Acura RDX, and he later worked at Fisker. In the interview, he linked the early Ridgeline and RDX concepts to designers looking for new projects, before a marketing executive pushed the pickup sketches toward production.
The Ridgeline also presented a significant manufacturing change for Honda. The Drive says it was the company’s first production vehicle with a bed and its largest production vehicle at the time, requiring assembly-line modifications. Herner recalled that spelling “Honda” across the tailgate in the company’s typeface departed from Japanese corporate convention and required approval from the company president. These details show that the project involved more than styling: it tested how Honda presented and built a vehicle outside its established passenger-car range.
““This never really started out to be a truck project per se, because Honda doesn’t make a transmission robust enough to turn gigantic wheels and tires.””
— Don Herner, Ridgeline exterior design lead, as quoted in The Drive’s report
2006-2014 Honda Ridgeline bed extender
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Limits of the Interview Account
The available report does not give the interview’s publication date or provide a full transcript, and it does not independently verify each recollection against Honda records. Details about the proposed Nike collaboration, engineering simulations and executive approval are attributed to Herner through The Drive’s account. The source also offers no confirmed specifications or timetable for a next-generation Ridgeline; its comments about how that vehicle might look are not presented as an official Honda announcement.
Honda Ridgeline truck bed cargo organizer
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
No New Model Announcement Yet
The immediate development is the publication of Herner’s recollections, not a confirmed product update from Honda. Readers seeking more detail would need the full Bontatibus interview or additional reporting from Honda and people involved in the program. The source contains no announced launch date or formal next step for the Ridgeline. Any future claims about a redesigned model should be treated as unconfirmed unless Honda provides details.
Honda Ridgeline towing accessories trailer hitch
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
Who is Don Herner?
Don Herner was the exterior design lead for the first-generation Honda Ridgeline. The Drive also reports that he worked on the third-generation Acura Integra and led design of the first-generation Acura RDX.
What did Honda call the Ridgeline during development?
Herner said the project was known internally as the “Advanced Capabilities Vehicle.” He said it did not begin as a conventional truck project.
When did the first Ridgeline go on sale?
The first-generation Ridgeline arrived in 2005 as a 2006 model, according to The Drive’s report.
What made the original Ridgeline different from traditional pickups?
It used a unibody structure and an integrated cab-and-bed design rather than the body-on-frame approach common among many pickups. Honda also emphasized features such as a dual-action tailgate and fold-up rear seats.
Did Honda announce a new Ridgeline in this report?
No. The report covers Herner’s account of the original model’s development. It does not include an official announcement, specifications or timing for a next-generation Ridgeline.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
