Honda Racing Corporation USA will take a modified 2026 Passport TrailSport to six overlanding events this summer, starting with Overland Expo West in Flagstaff on May 15, where HRC holds a title sponsorship. The concept vehicle carries a 60mm suspension lift, redesigned bumpers, full skid-plate protection, and a rooftop tent, positioning HRC as a potential supplier of overlanding hardware for Honda’s bestselling midsize SUV.
The tour is a market test. HRC is soliciting feedback from the overlanding community and staffing each show with Honda product specialists and engineers. Rob Ray, general manager of Performance Parts at HRC US, framed the effort carefully: “Honda and HRC are committed to the overlanding and off-road space, and we’re continuing to evaluate how that could show up in future products.” That is the language of a brand testing whether a market exists before committing to production parts.
The concept debuted at the 2025 SEMA show in Las Vegas and now enters a six-month roadshow that includes Range2 Ranch in Idaho, Overland Expo Mountain West in Colorado, and Overland Expo East in Virginia. The vehicle rolls on prototype wheels in matte Thermal Orange with a blackout roof. The functional modifications include extended aluminum skid plates covering the center bearing, prop shaft, and rear drive unit, along with new front and rear dampers, a one-off exhaust, and a 60mm suspension lift paired with larger-diameter tires. A swing-out spare tire carrier, rooftop light bar, ditch lights, side camp lights, and an 8,000-pound winch complete the overlanding kit. Inside, HRC added blue Alcantara inserts with HRC branding, a refrigerator, and custom accessory mounting panels.
The overlanding market is crowded with heritage nameplates. The Passport competes with the Toyota 4Runner, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Subaru Outback, all of which have decades-long off-road reputations and existing aftermarket ecosystems. The 2026 Passport starts at $44,750 and produces 285 horsepower from a 3.5-liter V6, seven horsepower more than the 2026 4Runner’s turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four. Through November 2025, Honda sold 50,530 Passports, a 73.2 percent increase over the prior year. The sales momentum is real, but the brand positioning is not yet established.
HRC is best known for championship-winning performance in INDYCAR and IMSA sports cars. The company recently expanded into a new business dedicated to producing performance parts for Honda and Acura customers across street, track, and now off-road applications. Whether that expansion will include a production line of Passport overlanding accessories depends on what HRC hears at the six stops between now and October. If the feedback is strong enough, the concept becomes a parts catalog. If not, it remains a SEMA show piece that toured the West.
The Passport TrailSport already positions itself as the most capable off-road Honda vehicle to date. Whether buyers want HRC-engineered upgrades to push that capability further is the question HRC is spending the next six months trying to answer.
Source: Honda. Images courtesy of Honda.
