Honda prepares third-generation Ridgeline pickup: more rugged design and new engine

The third-generation Honda Ridgeline mid-size pickup will enter the American market within the next two years, and it will be produced in the same location as its predecessor — at Honda's plant in Lincoln, Alabama. Production of the second-generation Ridgeline will come to an end later this year.

Last month, our website published a major feature on the history of the Honda Ridgeline. To briefly recap, the Ridgeline is a pickup designed specifically for America, featuring a unibody construction, a naturally aspirated V6, and a fully independent suspension. The first-generation Ridgeline launched in 2005, while the current second-generation model has been on sale since 2016. It is now safe to say that the Ridgeline was ahead of its time: when it first appeared, the market was not ready for a pickup with car-like underpinnings and limited off-road capability (no low-range gearing), even though the Ridgeline surpassed many body-on-frame rivals in terms of practicality and interior space.

Honda Ridgeline sales in the US peaked in 2023, with 52,001 units sold. Last year, sales totalled 48,448 units. In the first half of this year, 23,490 Ridgelines were sold in the US.

2026 will be the final year of production for the second-generation Ridgeline — this was announced today by the press office of American Honda Motor. This means there will be a gap of roughly a year before the third-generation pickup debuts. The exact launch date for the new Ridgeline has not yet been announced, but we believe the phrase "within two years" suggests it will not go on sale before 2028. For now, we can take a look at the first teaser of the third-generation Ridgeline.

As can be seen, the new Ridgeline will be far more rugged and angular than the current, slightly rounded second-generation pickup. The unibody construction is likely to be retained, and the third-generation Ridgeline will share its platform with the upcoming fifth-generation Honda Pilot crossover. The current second-generation Ridgeline is built on the third-generation Honda Pilot platform.

There is no official information yet on the technical specifications of the new Honda Ridgeline, but American media outlets (such as Car and Driver magazine) have previously reported, citing insiders, that the third-generation Ridgeline will feature a hybrid powertrain based on a new V6 engine — with more than enough power expected.

Unibody construction is no longer a death sentence for a pickup in America — this is confirmed by the very strong sales of the compact Ford Maverick pickup, which is based on the C2 platform from the now-discontinued European Ford Focus. In the first six months of 2026, 81,711 Ford Mavericks were sold in the US, and 155,051 units were sold in the whole of 2025.

We should add that in May, Honda unveiled a new development strategy, which places an emphasis on hybrid models, with the US named as a priority market. Honda's previous strategy, focused on electric vehicles, has been a spectacular failure.