2026 Honda Ridgeline Pickup Truck.
Provided by: Honda Honda,
honda motor industry confirmed on Thursday that the next generation of its Ridgeline pickup truck will be produced in the United States after a temporary production halt later this year.
The future of the mid-size pickup truck is in flux following reports that production may be temporarily halted because it does not meet California emissions regulations.
The Japanese automaker announced Thursday that it will temporarily halt production of pickup trucks at its Alabama plant that makes them later this year, and that assembly will return to the facility within two years, likely in 2028.
“Our goal is to continue to serve our loyal Ridgeline customers,” Lance Wolfer, American Honda Motor’s vice president of automotive sales, told CNBC. “But one of the things we want to drive in the future is to make our vehicles more robust and even more capable.”
Wolfer declined to comment on whether the more robust features include moving from a passenger-car-based production process to a more traditional truck assembly known as “body-on-frame,” which is how most trucks are built in the United States.
On July 23, 2026, Honda released a teaser image of its next-generation pickup truck “Ridgeline” for the U.S. market.
Provided by: Honda
“It was an important part of its history. Whether it’s part of its future or not, I’m not going to go into it,” Wolfer said. “This is a step forward for Ridgeline, and I think everyone will appreciate it.”
Expanding the capabilities of the Ridgeline, which is known more for its smooth driving than its ruggedness, could help expand the car’s buyer base.
Ridgeline sales fell about 3% in the first half. The company has sold about 41,000 to 52,000 Ridgelines annually since 2021. By comparison, the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma will sell more than 270,000 units in 2025.
The announcement of Honda’s new pickup comes after the company’s CR-V compact crossover led U.S. car sales for the first time through the first half of this year.
CR-V sales increased about 6% year over year as the Ford F-series pickups and Toyota Rav4 crossovers, which have been driving sales in recent years, addressed production bottlenecks.
