Honda will temporarily idle production of its midsize Ridgeline pickup later this year, though it plans to relaunch the truck in new form for the 2028 model year. The automaker blames trouble meeting new emissions rules. But skeptics say the truck has failed to generate the sort of sales numbers the automaker had been hoping for. More from Headlight.News.
For the second time since the truck was first launched in March 2005, Honda will halt production of the Ridgeline pickup during the fourth quarter of this year.
The automaker does plan to bring Ridgeline back, but not until late in 2028, likely as a 2029 model.
Honda put the blame on tough new problems meeting strict California emissions rules with the truck’s V-6 engine. It plans to address that issue while also make other moves to Ridgeline’s design and capabilities when it returns to market.
A troubled history
Ridgeline made its debut as a 2006 model, one in an assortment of trucks aimed at capturing a share of the resurgent midsize pickup market long dominated by the Tacoma from Honda’s arch-rival Toyota.
The third-largest Japanese automaker took a bet that there would be buyers for a car-based pickup, rather than one using the classic body-on-frame architecture. But the quirky styling was one of several factors that actually turned off buyers, Honda forced to pull Ridgeline from production in early 2015.
Honda came up with an all-new, more traditional truck design, launching production of the second-generation Ridgeline in June 2016 as a 2017 model. But demand for the truck continued to fall short of expectations.
Weak sales
The original Honda Ridgeline.
Honda sold just 48,448 Ridgelines in the U.S. last year. By comparison, Toyota sold 274,638 Tacomas. For the first quarter of this year, Honda sold just 10,980 of the trucks, and demand was down 15.7% in April. Toyota sold 69,263 Tacomas during the first quarter – though that truck suffered a 25% decline in April.
Ridgeline’s market share has been steadily on the decline, according to Automotive News, dropping from 9.9% in 2023 to just 7.3% of the midsize truck market last year.
The Honda pickup lagged behind the Chevrolet Colorado in 2025, as well as the Nissan Frontier and Ford Ranger. The only midsize model lagging behind it was the GMC Canyon.
More Auto News
- Kia’s No Longer a Bargain Basement Brand
- Stellantis Lays Out Global $70B Turnaround Plan
- A Week With the 2026 Toyota Camry SE Nightshade
Emissions catch the blame
Honda will expand production of the Odyssey minivan until Ridgeline returns.
Despite the weak sales, however, Honda officials said they’re temporarily idling production of the Ridgeline because of California emissions standards. Honda was one of a handful of automakers to reach an agreement with California regulators setting tough emissions mandates. Those remain in effect even after a rollback in federal rules by the Trump administration.
Ridgeline is currently produced at Honda’s Lincoln, Alabama assembly plant. The carmaker said it will return to production after an 18-month hiatus. A heavily updated version of the truck will be reintroduced, with a new design, features and powertrain.
In the meantime, the plan calls for Honda to expand production of other models at Lincoln, including the Odyssey minivan.
Honda is in the midst of reshaping its product plans following a $2.7 billion loss for the fiscal year ending March 30. It was the first annual deficit for the automaker since it went public in 1957. That was primarily due to a large write-down reflecting a pullback in Honda’s EV program. Among other things, it scrapped plans to sell its new 0 Series EVs in the U.S. and abandoned a planned EV production hub in mid-Ohio.
0 Comments