The Ridgeline, produced at Honda’s $2.2 billion, 4,500-worker Talladega County plant, was redesigned for the 2017 model year and went on sale last summer.

Jeff Tomko, president of Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, called the new Ridgeline “a very innovative new pickup truck.”

“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,” he said last spring during a plant celebration to mark the start of mass production.

‘ULTIMATE TAILGATER’

Honda is hoping to take a bigger bite of the U.S. light truck market with the second-generation Ridgeline, which adopts a more traditional pickup profile than its predecessor.

Promoted as the “ultimate tailgater,” the 2017 Ridgeline has an audio system built into the truck bed, along with a 400-watt power inverter that can energize a blender, flat-screen TV or other gameday gear.

Also this morning, the Chevrolet Bolt EV was named the Car of the Year and the Chrysler Pacifica was named the Utility Vehicle of the Year, a new award category for 2017.

The awards are given annually at the beginning of the Detroit auto show; eligible vehicles are those that are brand new or have been substantially changed.

The winners are chosen by a panel of about 60 automotive journalists from the U.S. and Canada, based on innovation, design, safety, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value.