--- title: "Nissan Could Build Honda Pickup Trucks in the USA" date: "2025-07-11" modified: "2025-07-11" authors: - name: "Byron Hurd" job_title: "Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/byron-hurd" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/nissan-could-build-honda-pickup-trucks-in-the-usa" categories: - "Honda News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Nissan News" tags: - "honda" - "Nissan" - "pickup" - "suv/crossover" --- # Nissan Could Build Honda Pickup Trucks in the USA ![Honda Passport Trailsport]() *\Honda\* Nissan may get the chance to activate some idled manufacturing capacity in the United States to build trucks for Honda, according to a [report from Japan's *Nikkei* newspaper](). The coverage did not cite a source, but it pointed to Nissan's Canton, Mississippi, plant as a potential manufacturing location for a Honda pickup. It would be a huge boon to Nissan, which has [drastically scaled back both its existing and projected U.S. manufacturing operations]() in an effort to curb [massive losses ]()sustained over the past 18 months. The company reported a net loss of $4.5 billion for its last full fiscal year. This isn't the first time we've heard something like this. Back in January, when a full-blown Honda/Nissan merger still looked inevitable, both companies talked about the possibility of [Honda cribbing Nissan's body-on-frame platforms to build larger trucks for the U.S. market](). ![]() *Honda* Currently, the company builds only one pickup for the U.S. market, the unibody Ridgeline. Nissan's Canton plant currently builds the Frontier, which is a body-on-frame model. Honda has no equivalent in its current portfolio. Could this mean that Honda is considering a pivot to a body-on-frame architecture for its next-generation [Ridgeline]()? It's a bit of a leap given the thin sourcing and the lack of specifics, but it makes a certain degree of sense. A U.S.-built (and therefore more tariff-proof) truck utilizing an existing platform would be a cost-effective way to transition the Ridgeline off of Honda's unibody architecture, which is in the process of being phased out for [a new iteration](). And since we're already speculating, let's take things one step further. Back in April, Nissan's Christian Meunier said that the company would "find a way" to [bring the Xterra back](). It all sounded very pie-in-the-sky, but what happens to the budgetary calculus when you add Honda to the equation? We're talking about a company with deep pockets and plenty of experience building the sort of hybrid powertrains that could help a midsize body-on-frame SUV thread the world's regulatory needles. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But can you really blame us for seeking silver linings in these storm clouds? *Got a tip? Let us know at tips@thedrive.com.* ## Author Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories. He brings a light, punchy style to all of his content, believing that there's plenty out there to be laughed at—himself included. Born and raised in Maryland but now based just a stone's throw from Detroit, Byron is an auto enthusiast and generalist who enjoys building and tinkering with things of all kinds, from cars, computers and digital cityscapes, to the new garage that will soon house his fleet (a CT4-V Blackwing, a JK Wrangler and an NA Miata). Inspired by an early love of rollercoasters, Byron quickly caught the high-performance driving itch. He's been tracking and auto-crossing his cars since 2007. In his downtime, Byron enjoys reading, playing city builders, and studying the history of the Motor City. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()