Nissan Might Build Honda Pickup Trucks in the United States

Trump’s increased tariffs have forced automakers to get creative. According to recent reports, Honda might use Nissan’s manufacturing facilities to build its pickup trucks in the United States.

Just a few months ago, Nissan and Honda were working on a potential alliance, but the project ultimately fell through. However, the two Japanese automakers may still get the chance to collaborate on a joint project in the near future.

A New Kind of Pickup

Unlike most pickup trucks, the Honda Ridgeline uses a unibody architecture. However, it seems that the Japanese automaker now intends to offer a new truck with a body-on-frame design. This is where Nissan comes into play, as it could provide Honda not only with a platform but also with a factory to produce this new pickup.

As you probably know, Nissan’s current financial situation is rather precarious, and the automaker is looking for ways to recover. Sharing a production line with Honda could help significantly reduce the manufacturing costs of the Frontier. It’s not the kind of alliance Nissan expected, but it could certainly help improve its situation.

On the other hand, Honda would also benefit by offering a more capable and more practical truck than the Ridgeline, potentially allowing the brand to expand its customer base.

Unfortunately, nothing official has been announced by either of the two Japanese automakers at this time.

Other Options

Building a midsize body-on-frame pickup isn’t the only option Honda is exploring. As the brand mentioned earlier this year, “Nissan offers several large-format models that aren’t available in the Honda lineup.” So who knows—perhaps a close collaboration between the two Japanese manufacturers will eventually come to fruition.

Jean-Sébastien Poudrier