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A shift in Honda's global planning means Australia could be in line for previously left-hand-drive-only models like the Ridgeline ute and Pilot large SUV.
Honda Australia could field more products in the brand’s global portfolio as new-generation vehicles become right-hand-drive ready, but the arrival of a large SUV or ute would still be years away.
Speaking to Drive at the 2025 Tokyo motor show, Honda Australia President and CEO Jay Joseph said there has been a shift in the way the Japanese brand offers models in certain markets.
“We’re looking at portfolios on a more global basis,” Joseph said.
“And electrification actually eases that a bit, because of the more modular construction of the software-defined vehicle era and the electrified era, we can actually look at our portfolios on a more global level, which does enable us to do some things that were a little tougher in the past.
“I get your point about a portfolio that has been fragmented, and we’re – both in the Asia Oceania region and on a global level – doing a better job of not picking things more ad hoc, but actually developing and designing a portfolio approach that suits a market better and has a line-up that people can move through as their life stages change.”
Honda Australia currently counts just five models in its stable – starting from the HR-V and moving up to the ZR-V, Civic, CR-V, and Accord, with the Prelude and Super-One set to join showrooms in 2026.
However, looking at the North American portfolio – and discounting the Acura-badged models – Honda has 11 in its range, including vehicles such as the Pilot, Passport, Ridgeline, and Odyssey.
Even Indonesia has a wider model range than Australia, with nameplates such as the City, Brio, and BR-V available, while our nearest neighbour – New Zealand – has access to the Jazz and e:N1.
However, Joseph cautioned existing products could not simply be made in right-hand drive and then dropped into local showrooms, and that the right business case needs to be made for each vehicle in Australia.
“In any corporation, there’s always this balance of power that shifts back-and-forth between global and regional,” Joseph said.
“I’ve been with Honda for 27 years, and I do feel that right now, we are at the best balance of regional autonomy, which is important, and global co-ordination, which is also important.
“I do feel like this era, and the leadership that we have today, has found the best balance of that yet.
“We are doing a better job at having the ability to offer products around the world a little better than we have in the past.”
It is understood that a large SUV like the Pilot and a ute like the Ridgeline would be desirable in Australia, but given the current product lifecycle it would cost too much to engineer for right-hand drive.
Given the decade-long lifespan of the first-generation Ridgeline, a third-generation model will not be due until around 2027, putting Honda’s large-size products off the table for global consumption until closer to the end of the decade.
Tung Nguyen has been in the automotive journalism industry for over a decade, cutting his teeth at various publications before finding himself at Drive in 2024. With experience in news, feature, review, and advice writing, as well as video presentation skills, Tung is a do-it-all content creator. Tung’s love of cars first started as a child watching Transformers on Saturday mornings, as well as countless hours on PlayStation’s Gran Turismo, meaning his dream car is a Nissan GT-R, with a Liberty Walk widebody kit, of course.
