The latest SUVs making a smooth ride down the assembly lines of Honda Alabama Auto Plant in Lincoln are designed for more rugged destinations once they leave the plant and the showroom floors.
The all-new, 2026 Passport and Passport TrailSport SUVs officially kicked off production at the Honda plant on Feb. 28. Honda officials and the more than 4,500 workers at the plant celebrated the kickoff.
Honda is calling the new Passport its “most off-road capable” SUV ever and the Passport TrailSport Honda’s “ultimate adventure vehicle.”
“Honda associates in Alabama worked with ingenuity and determination to bring to market the most rugged Honda SUV ever for our customers, the all-new 2026 Honda Passport,” said Lamar Whitaker, plant leader of the Honda Alabama Auto Plant.
The new vehicles are built exclusively in Alabama.
The new Honda Passport TrailSport is the most off-road capable Honda SUV ever, with additional rugged features engineered to get weekend adventurers even farther down the trail or up the mountain and deliver a quality off-road experience for customers. (Honda Alabama Auto Plant)
A Honda Alabama Auto Plant associate works in the new open engine bay for the 2026 Honda Passport to install key components inside the engine room. The 2026 Honda Passport’s new front-end module results in a major improvement in ergonomics for associates, making it easier for associates to achieve high build quality. (Honda Alabama Auto Plant)
A Honda Alabama Auto Plant associate installs the new heavy-duty recovery hooks on the 2026 Honda Passport Trailsport, which are engineered to break away in the event of a front collision. This patented design is a world’s first and enables the Passport to target top-of-class safety ratings. (Honda Alabama Auto Plant)
Associates at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant use lift-assist technology to install the tailgate on the 2026 Honda Passport. A number of lift-assist devices were added at the plant to make processes easier for associates and to achieve high quality. (Honda Alabama Auto Plant)
A Honda Alabama Auto Plant associate checks the installation fit of the front fascia on the new 2026 Honda Passport. (Honda Alabama Auto Plant)
The fourth-generation Passport lineup includes the Passport TrailSport, which features a 3.5-liter DOHC V-6 – built at the engine plant in Lincoln – and Passport’s first 10-speed automatic transmission and a number of new rugged enhancements.
The 2026 Passport comes in three primary trim levels – RTL, TrailSport and TrailSport Elite – built on the Honda light truck architecture first applied two years ago to the new Honda Pilot, an extremely rigid platform that was engineered for off-road capabilities. Pricing begins with the Passport RTL with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $44,750 (excluding $1,450 destination charge).
“The deep collaboration of the Honda R&D, manufacturing and purchasing teams enabled us to create a high-quality Honda Passport that also will be easier for our associates to build,” said Mike Smith, senior staff engineer at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant and the Engineering Project leader for Passport.
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
The Honda Passport TrailSport is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant. (American Honda Motor Co.)
Honda employees had to implement new production technologies and processes for the new models.
In addition to the Passport models, the Honda Alabama Auto Plant produces the Pilot SUV, Odyssey minivan and Ridgeline pickup with an annual capacity to produce more than 350,000 vehicles and V6 engines. It has produced more than 6.5 million vehicles since production began in 2001.
