Honda Ridgeline pickup will return to U.S. production after pause
Honda says a next-generation Ridgeline will be built in Alabama after a temporary halt, as the CR-V tops U.S. sales.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
The Honda Ridgeline pickup will get a next-generation model assembled in the United States after a temporary production halt, Honda Motor said Thursday. The confirmation gives dealers and Ridgeline buyers a clearer answer after reports that the midsize truck’s future was uncertain.
Honda said production of the current Ridgeline will stop later this year at the Alabama plant that builds it. Assembly is expected to resume at that facility within two years, likely in 2028, according to CNBC.
The automaker also released a teaser image of the next Ridgeline for the U.S. market on July 23, 2026. Honda did not give detailed specifications, pricing or a launch date for the new model.
When will the Honda Ridgeline pickup return?
Honda expects Ridgeline production to restart at its Alabama plant within two years of the temporary shutdown, with CNBC reporting that timing likely points to 2028. The current model is set to leave production later this year.
Lance Woelfer, vice president of auto sales at American Honda Motor, told CNBC that Honda wants to keep serving customers who have stayed with the Ridgeline. He said the company also wants the next version to bring more ruggedness and capability.
Woelfer declined to say whether that added capability means Honda will shift the Ridgeline from its current car-based approach to a body-on-frame structure. Body-on-frame construction is a traditional truck design in which the body sits on a separate frame, a layout used by many pickups sold in the U.S.
“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 told CNBC, referring to the Ridgeline’s existing setup. He added that the next model would be “a step forward” for the truck.
Why Honda is changing the Ridgeline
The Ridgeline has been known more for a comfortable ride than for the tougher image associated with many pickups, CNBC reported. Honda’s effort to add capability could help the truck reach more buyers in a competitive midsize pickup market.
Ridgeline sales fell about 3% in the first half of the year, according to CNBC. Since 2021, Honda has sold roughly 41,000 to 52,000 Ridgelines a year, far below the Toyota Tacoma, which led the segment with more than 270,000 units sold in 2025.
The Ridgeline decision comes as Honda’s CR-V compact crossover is carrying the brand in the U.S. CNBC reported that the CR-V led U.S. auto sales through the first half of the year for the first time.
CR-V sales rose about 6% from a year earlier, according to CNBC. The Ford F-Series pickups and Toyota RAV4, which have led sales in recent years, faced production bottlenecks during the same period.
Honda’s update leaves several major questions open, including how far the company will push the Ridgeline toward conventional truck buyers. For now, the automaker has said the model will return, and that its next version will still be built in Alabama.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.