- Honda will pause Ridgeline production for about 18 months before a major refresh.
- Tougher emissions rules reportedly forced Honda into an unusual product reset.
- The updated truck is expected to bridge the gap to a future hybrid architecture.
The Honda Ridgeline can sometimes feel like the pickup truck that sneaks under the radar. That might be in part because Honda has struggled to sell even 50,000 of them over the past few years, with last year falling below 45,000 sales. Almost every other truck in the segment sells more, and some, like the Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma, sell hundreds of thousands a year. Now, Honda is about to go back to the drawing board, but not just for a major redesign.
According to a report from Auto News citing people with knowledge of the plan, Honda needs to pause Ridgeline production for 18 months because it can’t meet emissions regulations. Production of the midsize pickup at Honda’s Alabama plant is expected to end in the fourth quarter of 2026, before restarting in the third quarter of 2028. During the gap, it’ll use the extra production capacity to build more Passports and Odysseys.
That said, it sounds like Honda is also going to use that time to fully reboot its truck. Sources familiar with the plan reportedly said Honda is preparing extensive updates, including styling revisions, component changes, and a revised V6 engine designed to satisfy tougher emissions requirements.
Read: Honda Ridgeline Keeps Getting Pricier While Getting No Younger
The report paints a picture of Honda trying to juggle several issues at once. The company has reportedly been extending product cycles across parts of its lineup while trying to extract more value from existing platforms. Meanwhile, internal debates around the Ridgeline’s future, resources previously tied up in EV efforts, and supplier issues all appear to have created the production gap we’re learning of today.
Honda declined to comment on its future plans, with a spokesperson telling Carscoops that “Ridgeline remains an important model in our lineup and one of our top conquest models with unique appeal within the industry pickup segment. The Ridgeline will continue to play an important role in our product lineup now and in the future.” That phrase “unique appeal” is doing some heavy lifting, as last year it was outsold by every other truck in the segment save for the pricey GMC Canyon.
This year isn’t shaping up much better. Honda moved 10,980 Ridgelines in the first quarter, and if the rest of 2026 holds that pace, the full-year tally will land in roughly the same neighborhood as last year. For comparison, Toyota sold 69,263 Tacomas in the same quarter. Whatever Honda is cooking up will need to be truly outstanding if it wants to be more competitive in the segment in general.
