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Performance / TDCN ORIGINAL

Honda's HRC performance parts line arrives in March 2027, starting with wheels and exhausts

The race division's first retail catalogue covers the Civic Type R, Integra Type S, Passport and Pilot, with pricing still unannounced.

Image: Motor1

Honda Racing Corporation will begin selling its first line of retail performance parts in March 2027, giving Honda and Acura owners access to components developed by the division behind the company's race programmes. The initial range covers the Honda Civic Type R, Acura Integra Type S, Honda Passport and Honda Pilot.

The parts will be sold through Honda and Acura dealerships nationwide and through Honda's online DreamShop, though Honda has not released pricing.

Wheels for the Type R and Integra Type S

A set of 19-inch wheels is among the first products, developed with 2elle engineering, the wheel supplier for the Acura ARX-06 race car. Each wheel measures 10 inches wide, half an inch wider than stock, and weighs 20.8 pounds, 5.5 pounds less than the original equipment. Offset is 55 millimetres, 5 mm more than standard.

The wheels come in gray or bronze and fit 2023 and newer Civic Type Rs and 2024 and newer Integra Type Ss.

An off-road wheel for the SUVs

A second wheel, an 18-inch off-road design, was developed with Titan 7, the supplier behind HRC's Pikes Peak efforts, and is made from aircraft-grade aluminium. It has a 40-millimetre offset and a load rating 220 pounds higher than the factory wheel.

It fits 2026 and newer Passports and 2023 and newer Pilots, and will be offered in black and bronze with Honda Racing machined into the face.

Exhaust adds ground clearance

A stainless-steel cat-back exhaust for the Passport and Pilot, built with Borla, raises exhaust flow by 6.0 percent and uses Borla's Polyphonic Harmonizer and Anti-Drone technology. Beyond changing the sound of the 3.5-litre V6, Honda claims the system adds 1.9 inches of ground clearance, and it is finished with HRC-branded tips.

It is compatible with 2023 and newer Pilots and 2026 and newer Passports. The clearance gain is the most consequential detail for SUV owners: it is a rare case of a performance part that also helps on rough ground, which is where the Passport and Pilot are most likely to be used.

Prototypes shown at SEMA

At this year's SEMA Show, HRC is displaying prototypes of parts it has not yet committed to production, including a six-piston Brembo brake kit, a short-throw shifter and adjustable coilovers with camber plates. Those items are not part of the March launch.

Jon Ikeda, senior vice president of HRC US, said the parts are designed and developed by HRC engineers with the same attention to detail given to the division's championship-winning race cars, on and off-road, and will elevate the driving experience on the road, at the track and on the trail.

The absence of pricing is the main gap for buyers. Until Honda publishes figures closer to launch, owners cannot judge whether the parts undercut or underprice equivalent aftermarket kit, and the value case for the lighter wheels and the clearance-boosting exhaust rests entirely on that number.

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New cars / TDCN ORIGINAL

Honda confirms Mitsubishi Triton-based pickup for ASEAN markets from 2028

The badge-engineered one-ton truck will be Honda's first pickup in Southeast Asia, but its name, styling and pricing have not been announced.

Image: Motor1

Honda will launch a pickup truck based on the Mitsubishi Triton in ASEAN markets from 2028, the two Japanese automakers have confirmed. The model will be Honda's first pickup offering in the region and will be built by Mitsubishi, which will do most of the development work under a memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies.

The agreement is the first complementary vehicle-supply initiative between Honda and Mitsubishi, and it gives Honda a fast route into a segment where it currently has no presence in Southeast Asia. Mitsubishi, meanwhile, gains increased production volume at its Thai factory.

What Honda has and has not said about the truck

Honda has not revealed the new truck's name or shown what it will look like. The company says only that the pickup will be based on the Triton, a one-ton truck built around a rugged ladder frame and sold in some markets as the L200. Whether the Honda version will be a simple rebadging exercise or carry distinctive styling remains unclear, though the expectation is that it will be a light rework to keep costs low and speed up the process.

Pricing has not been announced either. Honda has given no indication of what the truck will cost in any ASEAN market, and no launch prices, trim levels or equipment lists have been released.

Triton hardware and the ASEAN focus

The Triton is powered by a 2.4-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder or a naturally aspirated 2.4-litre petrol engine, with output varying by market and trim. The range-topping twin-turbo diesel produces up to 201 hp and 470 Nm (347 lb-ft) of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. Buyers can also get Mitsubishi's Super Select 4WD-II system, a locking rear differential and seven drive modes, and in some markets the truck can tow up to 3.5 metric tons (7,716 pounds).

The 2028 launch target applies strictly to the ASEAN market, where Honda says it will primarily sell the truck. There is no word yet on whether it could reach other regions. The arrangement builds on the strategic partnership framework Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi signed in August 2024, and shows that collaboration between the companies continues even though the proposed Honda-Nissan merger fell apart.

Mitsubishi already supplies the latest Nissan Navara for markets such as Australia and New Zealand, so the Honda pickup would give the same fundamental truck another badge. For Honda, borrowing Mitsubishi's existing body-on-frame hardware is a far cheaper and quicker route than developing a new truck from scratch, separate from the unibody Ridgeline it sells in North America.

Why American buyers are unlikely to get it

The Honda pickup is unlikely to reach the United States. Import tariffs already make it difficult to sell a Thai-built truck competitively in America, and the 25 per cent Chicken Tax on imported light trucks adds another major hurdle. Unless Honda decides to build the pickup locally or finds another way around those costs, the new model will probably remain unavailable to US buyers, leaving the teased next-generation Ridgeline as Honda's truck offering there.

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