Honda is unlikely to build a body-on-frame truck to join its current lineup, according to recent reporting regarding the automaker’s potential partnership with Nissan. The discussion centers on whether the two companies might collaborate on a vehicle using a rugged platform, a prospect that industry insiders now consider highly improbable.
Rumors of a merger between Honda and Nissan have circulated for some time, though the talks appear to be on ice. Despite the collapse of the potential merger, the two companies continue to communicate about collaborating on product development. According to an Automotive News report cited by CarBuzz, Nissan is currently lending a body-on-frame platform to Mitsubishi for the Pajero/Montero. The speculation was that Nissan might extend this same arrangement to Honda for a future SUV or pickup truck.
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During a media roundtable for the IndyCar Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington, D.C., Road & Track asked Honda officials about this specific possibility. The company did not issue a flat denial, but they suggested the idea is highly unlikely. The collaboration that has happened so far between the automakers has focused on smaller projects, such as engine control units (ECUs), software, and infotainment systems. This history of small-scale cooperation indicates that while broader product collaboration is not impossible, a joint body-on-frame truck remains a distant prospect.
Another factor complicates the potential for a body-on-frame vehicle: does Honda even need or want to sell one? The company currently markets the Ridgeline and Passport, both of which utilize a unibody construction. These models sell well enough to satisfy the company’s current requirements. A body-on-frame SUV or truck would, in theory, offer better off-road capabilities and towing capacity, but introducing a new model carries significant costs.
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Honda would have to differentiate any new vehicle enough from the Passport and Ridgeline to attract buyers, yet it risks cannibalizing sales of its existing lineup. If the company were to pursue such a vehicle, it would likely need to look more rugged and offer different specifications. The company could theoretically position a full-size body-on-frame truck against the competition, or a smaller model to compete with the Ford Maverick. However, given that the Ridgeline’s biggest selling point is its on-road manners and unibody construction—which provides a smoother ride—creating a sibling vehicle that sacrifices that comfort for ruggedness seems like a difficult sell.
While a body-on-frame truck could theoretically offer capabilities the Ridgeline lacks, the current market environment and Honda’s existing success with its unibody models make a drastic pivot unlikely in the near future. A Honda/Nissan merger is currently off the table, and the collaboration on a rugged vehicle appears to be effectively dead as well.
