Honda, concerned about a glut of Odyssey minivans and brand-new 2009 Pilots sitting on dealer lots, has elected to trim production of the larger vehicles in favor of increasing production of the new 2009 Civic. The drop will equate to about 10,000 units combined at the Lincoln, Alabama plant, and the resulting plant downtime will be used for employee training and maintenance. What, no layoffs? Come on, throw GM a bone. At least send someone home early with half-pay.
Lincoln is also getting some new product to make up for Odyssey/Pilot decreases, as Honda Ridgeline pickup production will be consolidated there from Alliston, Ontario. The Ontario plant will then concentrate on cranking out more Civics.
Jalopnik Snap Judgement: Honda has one thing going for them the U.S. automakers don't have — a lineup that includes a wider variety of small, fuel-efficient vehicles. Boosting Civic production is the right move at the right time. But, how far over the "comfort line" is Honda with Odyssey/Pilot supply? Automotive News claims, as of July 1, they have a 78-day supply of Odysseys and a 99-day supply of Pilots. The company wants between a 45- and 60-day supply. In contrast, the F-150, one of the vehicles hit hardest by the truck slowdown, had about a 104-day supply. In other words, Honda screwed up its production forecasts almost as much as Ford. USA! USA! [Automotive News (Sub. Req.)]