Honda is joining the bakkie game, with a little help from Mitsubishi
If all goes to plan, we’re about to see a very interesting bakkie partnership. Honda and Mitsubishi have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop a Honda bakkie based on the Triton. Honda will use the Triton’s ladder-frame chassis, and the donor bakkie is one of Mitsubishi’s global strategic models, in particular in high demand in ASEAN markets.
It’s still too early for Honda to name its new bakkie, but it will be primarily aimed at ASEAN markets, where the brand currently sells no bakkie models. That should let Honda enhance its product lineup quickly and efficiently. Mitsubishi benefits too, as the deal should keep more Triton bakkies rolling off the line at its Thai plant and make better use of the factory’s capacity.
The bakkie is the first product of a strategic partnership that Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan signed in 2024. Since then, the three have been looking at ways to supply vehicles to one another, so each brand can fill gaps in its range faster than it could by developing every model from a blank slate.
Shared-platform deals have a mixed record, and not just in bakkies. The Mercedes-Benz X-Class, a Nissan Navara underneath, failed to attract customers and was dropped after a short run. BMW and Toyota with the Z4 and Supra, and Subaru and Toyota with the BRZ and GR86, are all proof that partnerships can work. Closer to home, the Ford Ranger and VW Amarok continue to do well, both locally and abroad.
Honda already sells the Ridgeline in North America, but this Triton-based bakkie is a different proposition altogether. So what does this mean for South Africa? Well, it could go one of two ways:
The first is that Honda keeps a close eye on our market for interest, and if there is any, we could see the bakkie introduced here in the coming years. The second is that Honda stays away. SA is a huge bakkie market, but it’s also one of the most tightly contested, with the Hilux, Ranger and D-Max setting the pace and a growing list of Chinese rivals. Honda would be a newcomer with no bakkie heritage here, and it would be going up against the very bakkie it’s based on, since Mitsubishi already sells the Triton locally. It’s hard to see where a Honda-badged version would sit in that fight.
However, it’s Honda’s call, and we’ll be watching to see whether it decides the local market is worth its consideration.
