Where Are Honda Ridgelines Made? (Solved & Explained)

With its car-based design, the Honda Ridgeline is hardly a conventional truck — but it has all you need in one.

Not only does it offer ample storage space and comfy interiors, the Ridgeline features first-rate safety as well.

Where are Honda Ridgelines made? We answer that question in this article.

Where Are Honda Ridgelines Being Made?

Honda manufactures the Ridgeline trucks at its Lincoln, Alabama plant in the United States of America. Before that, the Japanese automaker assembled Ridgelines at the Alliston, Ontario plant in Canada.

The Ridgeline was released in 2004. At the time, Ridgelines were assembled at the Honda of Canada manufacturing plant in Canada.

However, Honda announced in March 2008 that it would move Ridgeline production to Lincoln, Alabama.

This marked the first time Honda would move production of vehicles between two North American regions.

Since then, Honda of Alabama has been responsible for the assembly of Ridgeline trucks.

We also have an article here which talks about 11 Honda Ridgeline Statistics You Should Know

Are Ridgelines for the U.S. Market Produced in the U.S.?

Ridgeline trucks sold in the US come from the Honda of Alabama plant located in Lincoln, Alabama, US.

In addition, most parts that go into American Ridgelines are sourced locally — that includes transmissions and engines.

According to Cars.com 2019 American-made Index, the Honda Ridgeline is the most American-made truck.

This puts it ahead of iconic American trucks such as the Ford F-150 or Chevrolet Silverado.

Are They Being Assembled in the U.S.?

Since late 2009, production of Ridgelines has taken place at the Alabama plant in the US.

The plant in question (Lincoln, Alabama) is, in fact, the exclusive manufacturer of the Ridgeline truck.

Make sure to read our article about how long Honda Ridgelines last.

How Can You Check Where a Specific Ridgeline Was Produced?

You can know the location a Ridgeline was made by checking its production timeline (when it was made).

Prior to 2009, Honda assembled the Ridgeline at the Alliston, Canada plant. On the other hand, it began manufacturing Ridgelines at the Lincoln, Alabama plant in 2009.

You can check which Honda Ridgeline years are best and what years to avoid.

Thus, if your Ridgeline is a pre-2009 model, it’s likely made in Canada. If it’s a model released after 2009, then it’s made in the US.

Additionally, you can check your Ridgeline’s production location by checking its VIN.

The VIN is short for Vehicle Information Number — a 17-character code that contains information about a car.

Your truck’s VIN is unique and will be present on the dashboard or driver’s side door.

The first character — which could be a number or letter — indicates the country of manufacture. While European vehicles use letters, North American vehicles use letters.

Cars produced in the United States have either 1, 4, or 5 as the first VIN character, while in cars produced in Canada have 2 as the first VIN character.

That way, you know your Ridgeline is US-made if it has 1, 4 or 5 as the first number in its VIN. Having 2 as the first character in your Ridgeline’s VIN means it’s from Canada.

Please also read our article about driving the Honda Ridgeline in snow and winter.

Are Japanese or European Built Ridgelines Better?

To date, all Ridgelines produced have come from North American countries — Canada and America. Therefore, the question of Japanese and European models cannot apply to the Ridgeline truck.

Where Is the Ridgeline Designed?

Honda designs the Ridgeline truck at the American Honda research and design facility in Torrance, California.

The facility is also responsible for designing Odyssey and Passport vehicles.

Where Are Ridgelines Made for the Australia Market?

Ridgelines sold in Australia all come from the Honda of Alabama plant in the United States. Meanwhile, older Ridgelines (pre-2009) sold in Australia were made in Canada.

Where Are Ridgelines Made for the Canada Market?

Ridgelines sold in the Canada market are manufactured at the Honda assembly in Alabama, USA.

Honda once produced Ridgelines in Canada, specifically at the manufacturing plant in Alliston, Canada.

But, in 2008, the Japanese carmaker transferred production of Ridgeline trucks to its Lincoln, Alabama plant in the US.

Some believe Honda moved Ridgeline manufacturing to the Alabama plant as a cost-saving measure.

The Alabama plant produced the Passport and Odyssey — vehicles the Ridgeline shared the same platform and powertrain with. That meant Honda could use the same parts for all three vehicles without designing new vehicle parts.

Also read our article about where the Honda Odyssey is made.

Where Are Ridgelines Made for the UK Market?

The Honda manufacturing plant in Alabama, USA makes the Ridgeline trucks distributed and sold in the UK market.

Is Honda Planning to Move Its Production?

Honda has shown no signs of moving production of the Ridgeline from the Lincoln, Alabama plant. At the moment, the plant is the sole manufacturer of the Ridgeline worldwide.

There were rumors Honda would move production of the Ridgeline elsewhere after the Alabama plant stopped producing the truck in 2014.

However, Honda later commenced production of the second-generation Ridgeline at the Alabama plant in 2016.

Is Honda Hiring or Firing in the U.S.?

Based on our research, Honda has done some firing and hiring this year. We found a couple of recent job listings on Indeed.com and Glassdoor for vacant positions in Honda plants across the US.

Earlier this year, Honda placed many of its workers in the United States on “temporary layoff” following a drastic drop in demand.

Is Honda an American Company?

Honda is a Japanese company but has a strong presence in the United States of America.

Honda is, in fact, the first Japanese automaker to have a manufacturing plant in the USA.

According to statistics, about one-third of Honda models sold in the US, including the Ridgelines, are made in North America.