Tariffs have made importing vehicles into America difficult for some countries. But US tariffs don’t apply to exports, which is one of the reasons that Honda is shipping vehicles built in its Ohio and Alabama based plants out to Japan.
According to Automotive News, the main vehicle being exported is the Honda Passport TrailSport Elite. An off road focused, 285-horsepower, 3.5 literV6-powered, fourth generation midsize crossover. The built-in-Bama crossover might be a bit of a strange choice for the Japanese market. Tokyo’s pretty crowded, so smaller vehicles may make more sense than a mid-sized SUV with an off-road focus.
But sales of the vehicle have been exceptionally strong in the US, so maybe the hype will cross the pacific.
The exports, which will be Honda’s first in four decades, are also driven by streamlined import rules Japan has implemented in response to its trade imbalance with the US. The first vehicles are expected to be shipped out in the second half of 2026.
Honda also intends to ship the Ohio-built Acura Integra Type S to the Land of the Rising Sun, which is sort of a first for Japan. Despite the fact that Acura (which is a branch of Honda) is a Japanese company, and the Integra looks as “JDM” as a vehicle can possibly look, Acura have never actually been sold in Japan. Until now.
However, many Japanese motorheads will be pretty familiar with the Integra Type S. It’s essentially just a fancy version of the Honda Civic Type R. Aside from aesthetics, the Acura has better damping, so feels far more controlled when driven at speed. But beyond that, it’s the same platform, same powertrain, and same six-speed manual gearbox.
The powertrain in question is a punchy, turbocharged, 2.0-liter inline four with 320 horsepower. For its price, the Integra is one of the best driving vehicles on the market. It retains a very visceral feeling (though it is toned down compared to its Honda-badged sibling), handles very well, and has a manual transmission for those folks who love to be very involved.
Honda’s “export” vehicles aren’t being built for the Japanese market
Despite the fact they’re being exported, the Honda Passport TrailSport and Acura Integra Type S aren’t being built specifically for the Japanese market. Instead, Honda is just shipping out the “American” version of each vehicle.
The steering wheel position is the most obvious evidence of this. The vehicles are being built in left-hand drive, with the driver sitting in the left front seat. In Japan, people drive on the left. So the steering wheels of Japanese cars tend to be placed on the right, as anyone who’s taken an imported JDM car through a drive thru will know all too well.
Only a small fraction of the 21,000 Integras and 60,000 passports predicted to be produced in 2026 are set to be exported. Industry analysts believe no more than 6,000 of the vehicles will sell in Japan each year, mainly due to the aforementioned steering wheel location.
Honda’s US domestic sales are doing well, the Integra accounts for just over 9% of “compact luxury” sales in the US, and 70% more Passports sold in 2025 than they did in 2024. Over 80% of those vehicles were TrailSport variants. This has led some dealers to criticize the export plans, stating that inventory should remain in the US so Honda can maintain its domestic market share.
Oh and in case you were wondering, Japanese drivers won’t be paying tariffs on the two vehicles. US tariffs only apply to imports, not exports, and Japan doesn’t charge tariffs on imported passenger vehicles. So a Honda built in Ohio and bought in Japan may well work out cheaper than a Japanese built Honda being sold in the US.
