Is Honda Reviving the Passport SUV?
According to a report by Automotive News, Honda is indeed bringing back a nameplate it used on an SUV in the late 1990s. In fact, it’s happening sooner rather than later, as the brand is allegedly looking to unveil it at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show in November, and put it on sale in early 2019.
The Passport was the first SUV sold by Honda in the United States, and was available from 1994 to 2002. It was the result of an agreement between Honda and Isuzu. The Isuzu Rodeo was essentially rebadged and sold as a Honda Passport. At the same time, the Isuzu Trooper was rebadged as the Acura SLX, while the Honda Odyssey was rebadged the Isuzu Oasis. The Passport, the SLX and the Oasis weren’t available in Canada.
The report goes on to detail that the new Passport will slot into Honda’s lineup between the CR-V and the Pilot, and compete with vehicles such as the Ford Edge and Nissan Murano. It will borrow the Pilot’s platform and will likely be built at the same Lincoln, Alabama facility where the Pilot, Odyssey and Ridgeline are assembled. A Honda spokesperson declined to give any specifics in the article.
The Passport would represent the fourth crossover in the Honda lineup after the HR-V, CR-V and Pilot. The move to focus on more crossovers has been a trend among manufacturers in recent years as a result of the public’s rather strong demand for them.