Honda has no plans for full-size pickup

As Japanese competitor Toyota Motor Corp. prepares to launch the Tundra, possibly its most credible entry to date in the U.S. fullsize pickup segment, an American Honda Motor Co. Inc. official says his company has no plans to counter it.

"Why?" asks John Mendel, senior vice president-automotive operations for American Honda.

Mendel says he doesn't see Honda building body-on-frame, fullsize pickups any time soon because it goes against the auto maker's strategy to market fuel-efficient vehicles. Plus conventional fullsize pickups are the domain of Detroit-based General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group.

"Toyota's been on that path," the former Ford executive says during a recent Acura media event. "We're fine with Ridgeline," Honda's compact unibody truck that went on sale last year and has been selling well.