It's shaping up to be a great year for Honda. Just last month in Detroit the 2006 Civic and Ridgeline pick-up were named North American car of the Year and North American Truck of the Year, respectively. Yesterday, AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) named the Honda Civic Sedan and Honda Ridgeline pick-up as AJAC Car of the Year and AJAC Truck of the Year, respectively. Now if that's not enough, Motor Trend Magazine named the 2006 Honda Civic as the Motor Trend Car of the Year, and the 2006 Honda Ridgeline as the Motor Trend Truck of the Year.

One brand has never been awarded The North American Car of the Year and the North American Truck of the Year awards in the same year. Let alone winning the AJAC awards and the Motor Trend awards. Clearly Honda has designed two well thought out vehicles which raise the bar in their respective segments.

Honda Civic

The 2006 Honda Civic is clearly the dominant player in its segment. With 140hp standard, it offers more horsepower than the previous generation. Clever engineering yields a completely flat floor for the middle backseat passenger, and the two tier dash looks great yet serves its purpose by keeping your eyes on the road. The Civic sedan has morphed into a mini-Accord. This point is not lost on Honda as they are getting ready to introduce the Honda Jazz as their new introductory sedan. And let's not forget about the Civic Si, which offers 197hp, a 6-speed manual transmission, and a limited slip diff. That's a formula for a lot of fun. In fact, the Civic Si has filled the void left by the discontinued Prelude. The Civic has raised the bar.

Honda Ridgeline

Wow. A Honda winning three of the most coveted Truck of the Year awards. It beat out the newly revised 2006 Dodge Ram and Lincoln LT amongst others. The Ridgeline comes with some very clever touches. The storage compartment under the bed, 4 wheel independent suspension, and the tailgate opens like a door or can swing down. Honda also put 4 lights in the bed for better visibility at night. These ideas sound simple enough but no other truck puts them all together in such a well thought out package. Honda has taken a different approach and made a truck that will satisfy people who need a truck for the versatility, but who don't want a harsh ride and poor maneuverability. The Ridgeline is one of the rare vehicles that will have a big impact on its segment, making all of the competition better. And if the competition doesn't get better, they won't be able to compete.