The Big H promises some sort of light truck and powersport mashup at this year’s SEMA show in Vegas.

Setting their sights on the glitz and glamor of Las Vegas, Honda is preparing to roll into town with a new creation, one that “combines Honda’s light truck and powersports products in a way that only Honda could achieve”.

That’s not a lot to go on, but we’ve more than enough fuel for speculation. It’s no secret that Honda will be entering the lucrative performance side-by-side market soon, with (totally unofficial) pictures of a Honda SxS bearing the name “Talon.” It would surprise no one if the new bruiser is offered in both 2- and 4-passenger configurations with a 999cc engine and five-link suspension.

Company spox have said the as-yet-unnamed machine will be unveiled on November 27^th. That, however, could simply be a misdirection. There’s no doubt manufacturers like to own the moment when unveiling a new product, preferring not to be drowned out by the noise of others, but the level of coverage shovelled at SEMA online and on social media may prove to be too tempting an opportunity for Honda to ignore.

Given the Ridgeline is a unibodied rig, we highly doubt Honda is in the throes of whipping up a full-fledged competitor to the ZR2 and TRD Pro pickups. However, it would not be wholly surprising to find that the company has shovelled development dollars into semi-rugged off-road accessories. Other OEMs have recently expanded their catalogs and are realising the benefits by way of higher average transaction prices at the dealership. It is also worth remembering that the Ridgeline race truck exists, shown above.

One machine that is definitely on the Honda docket for SEMA is a rig called the Ridgeline Overland. This build is fitted for camping and adventure beyond the pavement, decked out and ready for a week off the grid.

Still, we’re looking forward to this powersports surprise. Will the hype bear fruit in the form of a 1000cc sports SxS from one of the world’s biggest manufacturers? Or will it simply end up being an accessorized Ridgeline with a dirtbike in the bed?

We won’t have long to wait – SEMA kicks off next week on October 30^th at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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