V-8? No Way

ANNA, OH — Ever since the recent press previews at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Motown speculation machine has been spinning tales of a pickup truck in the near future for American Honda Motor Co. Inc.

Don't believe any of them, American Honda executives say.

True, competitor Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. is entering the fullsize segment later this year with its new Titan pickup. And it's true that Honda engineers, including Charlie Baker, Honda's executive chief engineer for the new Accord, were spotted at the Detroit show examining the Titan closely after the media thinned out.

But to enter the fullsize pickup segment, Honda would need a V-8 engine and a body-on-frame architecture. The auto maker has no experience with either. Honda's Anna, OH, engine plant produces only 4- and 6-cyl. engines, and Senior Vice President Larry Jutte says there are no plans for Anna or Honda's new plant in Lincoln, AL, to produce V-8s.

“As you can see from the performance on the V-6, there's not a big strong push for that (V-8),” Jutte tells Ward's following a media event to celebrate the production of the 10-millionth automotive engine at Anna.

The plant opened in 1985, first producing motorcycle engines. Output of Anna's first car engines, for the subcompact Civic, began a year later.

The all-new 3L V-6, which powers the Accord, produces an impressive 240 hp and recently received a Ward's Best Engines award for 2003.

Why doesn't Honda need a V-8, given that big engines are integral to the North American market?

“Our engineers continue to refine the base engines that we have, getting more and more out of less and less,” Jutte says, adding the absence of a V-8 hasn't hurt the auto maker, which had an “outstanding” sales year in 2002 with its existing powertrain options.

Anna has three assembly lines, producing a variety of 4-cyl. and V-6 engines.

This summer, one of the 4-cyl. lines will shut down and be replaced with a new line at the plant that produces both 4-cyl. and V-6 engines.