Honda's Pilot pricing shows it's serious about SUVs

Honda appears serious about wanting to vault its Pilot family crossover back to the top of the SUV pack.

Proof: It has priced its new Pilot SUV at $30,875, including destination fees, a mere $125 more than the current one. Yet the new one is loaded with features that the old one lacked.

The 2016 Pilot, for instance, is larger and more efficient. It has the brand's first nine-speed transmission.The third-row seats are easier to access.

Production of the long-awaited, redesigned Honda Pilot began Thursday at the Japanese automaker's plant in Lincoln, Ala.

The automaker expects that pent up demand for the new model and a new, more modern look for the popular three-row SUV will lead to a sales surge, enabling the company to sell about 120,000 annually, about an 11% increase over its sales in 2014.

"Candidly, we could not be more excited or confident in the capabilities of this new vehicle," said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda.

Mendel said top price for the deluxe, fully loaded version will top $47,300, including destination charges.

The automaker hasn't redesigned the Pilot since 2008.