Unlike Ford, which featured a triumvirate of cool introductions, or Toyota, which featured a lot more, Honda is not officially present at the 2023 SEMA Show. That's too bad for the aftermarket world – but also too good for the imaginative realm of digital car content creators who can focus on upcoming models rather than concepts or specialty builds.
The Blue Oval company played with the off-road prowess of the Bronco and Ranger family. At the same time, it also catered to street shenanigans with the 2024 Ford Mustang GT's Ford Performance concept supercharger kit that seeks to put more than 800 hp under the hood of the S650 seventh-generation pony car.
Meanwhile, Toyota has touched bases with just about everything – including a potential revival of the sports truck segment if the 2024 Tacoma X-Runner concept ever enters production with Tundra's massaged 421-horsepower 3.4-liter i-Force twin-turbo V6 mill. And speaking of the all-new N400 Tacoma and its place in the mid-size pickup truck segment, how about Honda taking a swing at its crown?
Suppose that may not be possible in the real world – where it not only has to contend with the latest iteration of the Tacoma but also with other all-new foes like the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger (plus Ranger Raptor), and the refreshed Jeep Gladiator, nothing stops the parallel universes of vehicular CGI from taking a stance. Frankly, it's about time someone did something for the Ridgeline, the only unibody representative of the mid-size pickup truck sector.
Given that Honda uses a long life cycle for this nameplate – the first generation was introduced in March 2005 as a 2006 model year, and the current second generation arrived in June 2016 as a 2017MY – we are all pretty sure that even if a redesign happens for the 2025 or 2026 model years, it won't be a deep one, let alone an all-new generation. Instead, a subtle refresh is envisioned by everyone, including the pixel masters from two AI-assisted channels – Q Cars and Real Automotive.
According to their vision, the upcoming 2025 or 2026 Honda Ridgeline will feature a streamlined appearance. The good folks at Q Cars believe the Japanese automaker will adopt a minimalist design with slimmer headlights and modern LED taillights, among others. Meanwhile, the resident pixel master from Real Automotive doesn't even bother to change the front fascia all that much – it's only marginally sleeker, and the taillights get a lot more attention.
So, what do you think – could Honda nail a best-seller Ridgeline with just a handful of subtle updates, or is the competition too intense, given that Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, and even Jeep all have new or updated models readily available or coming soon? And are we rooting for Ram to join the unibody mid-size pickup truck game alongside Honda's Ridgeline with a larger take of the Brazilian Rampage or possibly a Dakota nameplate revival?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News