Honda confirms the 2016 Pilot will debut in Chicago next month

Honda has announced that it will debut the all-new 2016 Honda Pilot at the Chicago Auto Show next month. Jeff Conrad, the senior vice president of Honda, explained that the redesigned third-generation crossover will help reestablish the Japanese foothold in a segment that it helped to create, but has now become full of newer, more compelling competitors from rival automakers.

While there weren’t any further details or photos regarding the 2016 Pilot, many expect the new model to come equipped with the same 250-horsepower V-6 engine that its predecessor used, although another gear will most likely be added to the five-speed automatic transmission for greater efficiency. Considering that many of the Pilot’s competitors have a four-cylinder engine as their base, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a similarly powered Pilot added to Honda’s lineup.

As we mentioned before, Honda has promised a redesign for the 2016 model, which is certainly good news since the outgoing model, which was introduced back in 2008, had a squared-off profile while virtually all of its competitors have chosen to adopt a more modern, streamlined design. Honda also promised that the vehicle, which is being developed and manufactured in the United States, will offer a level of dynamics and versatility that is “currently unavailable in the mainstream SUV segment.”