Honda has announced plans to export the US-designed, developed and built Honda Passport to the Japanese market in the second half of 2026.
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Honda says the fourth-generation Passport has been a runaway success in the US market since its introduction early last year, posting multiple monthly sales records and its best year in 2025.
Sales of Passport in Japan will begin in the second half of 2026. Available exclusively in TrailSport Elite trim, the Japan destined models will match US specifications, including left-hand drive arrangement.
The move comes amid heightened US-Japan automotive trade tensions. So-called ‘reverse imports’ that ship from Japanese OEM plants in the US to Japan can act as a visible sign of Japan’s willingness to address US Trump Administration concerns over Japan’s large surplus on bilateral trade with the US.
Analysts have suggested that US reverse imports are costly for the Japanese OEMs and that the business case is weak. They are therefore more about messaging to decison-makers in Washington. The car is being shipped in US-spec, which also means Left-Hand Drive (LHD) rather than being extensively engineered for Japan – a Right-Hand Drive (RHD) market – a sign of very limited sales goals.
The Honda Passport, including the Passport TrailSport that accounts for around 80% of the trim mix, is built exclusively at the Honda Alabama Auto Plant in Lincoln, Alabama. The 3.5-liter V6 engine that powers the Passport also is made locally at the plant. Honda points out that Passport consistently ranks in the top 10 of the Cars.com American-Made Index for its contribution to US-based auto manufacturing jobs and supply chains.
“Since Honda began auto production in America more than four decades ago, we have been dedicated to delivering quality for the world, made in the USA,” said Jun Jayaraman, senior vice president of the Manufacturing Management Centre at Honda Development & Manufacturing of America. “From the onset, Honda has believed in our American manufacturing talent, and we are proud to export quality vehicles built by our associates in Alabama to Honda customers in Japan.”
In March 1988, Honda became the first Japanese automaker to import its own US-made vehicles to Japan, with a shipment of Accord Coupe automobiles and Gold Wing GL1500 motorcycles made at Honda plants in Marysville, Ohio. Since beginning overseas exports of U.S.-made automobiles in 1987, Honda has exported more than 1.75 million Honda and Acura vehicles to global markets. This includes nearly 300,000 vehicle exports to Japan.
Honda exhibited the 2026 Passport at the Tokyo Auto Salon and Osaka Auto Messe, held earlier this year, where many visitors showed strong interest in this model and expressed excitement over the possibility of the model being available for the Japan market.
The top Passport TrailSport Elite trim Honda will offer in Japan matches US market specifications, including left-hand-drive, V6 power, torque-vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive, reinforced steel skid plates, off-road tuned suspension, all-terrain tyres, stout front and rear recovery points, and TrailWatch camera system.
Every 2026 Passport features a 285 hp DOHC V6 engine, paired with the model’s first 10‑speed automatic transmission – marking the first time this engine will be offered by Honda in the Japanese market. This is also the first Passport to get the second generation of the Honda torque vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system, which features a stronger rear drive unit with 40% more torque capacity and 30% faster response, optimising traction in all driving scenarios, especially slick and off-road conditions.
