Honda teases new American-built midsize pickup truck
2026 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck.
Courtesy HondaHonda,
honda motor on Thursday confirmed a next-generation mannequin of its Ridgeline pickup truck shall be produced within the US following a short lived manufacturing stoppage later this yr.
The way forward for the midsize pickup truck has been in flux amid reports that there may very well be a manufacturing pause coming as a result of car not assembly California emissions laws.
The Japanese automaker on Thursday mentioned there shall be a short lived manufacturing stoppage for the pickup truck later this yr on the Alabama plant that produces the car, with meeting returning to the power inside two years, possible in 2028.
“The goal is to continue to serve those customers who’ve been loyal to the Ridgeline,” Lance Woelfer, vp of auto gross sales at American Honda Motor, informed CNBC. “But one of the things that we want to bring forward in the future is increased ruggedness of that vehicle, even more capability.”
Woelfer declined to touch upon whether or not the extra rugged functionality will embody the car transferring from a car-based manufacturing course of to a extra conventional truck meeting, often called “body-on-frame,” which is how most vehicles are constructed within the US
Honda on July 23, 2026, launched a teaser picture of its next-generation Ridgeline pickup truck for the US market.
Courtesy Honda
“That’s been an important part of its history. Whether or not it’s part of its future, I won’t get into that,” Woelfer mentioned. “This is a step forward for the Ridgeline that I think everyone will appreciate.”
Expanding the potential of the Ridgeline, which is extra recognized for clean driving than ruggedness, might help in increasing the car’s patrons.
Sales of the Ridgeline have been down about 3% throughout the first half of the yr. The firm has bought between roughly 41,000 and 52,000 Ridgelines yearly since 2021. That compares with greater than 270,000 models bought of the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma in 2025.
Honda’s affirmation of the new pickup comes as its CR-V compact crossover led US auto gross sales by way of the primary half of the yr for the primary time ever.
CR-V gross sales elevated roughly 6% in comparison with final yr because the Ford F-Series pickups and Toyota Rav4 crossover, which have led gross sales in recent times, handled manufacturing bottlenecks.
