Honda Passport to Return as Two Row, Mid Size Crossover
The Honda Passport nameplate will return on a new two-row crossover that will slot between the CR-V and Pilot in the automaker’s lineup.
According to Automotive News, the new Passport will be shown to Honda dealers during a special presentation in November of this year before it goes on sale in early 2019. It’s also expected to show up at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show that month for a public debut. Honda declined to comment on the new mid-size crossover when asked by AN, but stopped short of denying such a product is in the pipeline.
“We have not confirmed any details related to this product so any specifics would be quite speculative at this point,” a Honda spokesman told the publication.
Honda first filed a patent application for the ‘Passport’ name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office last spring. It also filed a design patent application in November for a mid-size crossover that appeared nearly identical to the Honda UR-V for China. In China, the UR-V serves as a mid-size, two-row crossover that slots above the CR-V in Honda’as product portfolio. It therefore seems likely that the ‘Passport’ rumored for North America is simply a UR-V revised to meet North America safety and emissions regulations.
The North American-spec UR-V, or ‘Passport’, will make its debut later this year.
Discuss this story at our Honda Passport Forum
Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
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...so..... basically a replacement for the Crosstour?
So they turn the Pilot into a minivan and then they bring out a new crossover that's less capable than either? I just had a Honda salesman on the phone asking me what my plans might be for trading in my 2008 Pilot. Had to tell him that there aren't any unless Honda starts making an actual truck-like SUV again. It's Sport UTILITY Vehicle and if I can't even tow a Class III trailer, it's useless to me. Toyota is no better, dropping their FJ a few years ago. Jeeps are priced like Harley Davidson makes them and even the 4-door models have lousy trailer capacity. I'm going to have to look at the 2020 Ford Bronco if I want to upgrade to something that might actually be USEFUL. Unless they make it with four doors. I don't care what Ford or GM says... If it's got 4 doors it's a fucking Excursion/Suburban. And if the manufacturers don't have something useful, I'll go the resto-mod route and find a fully upgraded K5 Blazer or something.