The family SUV competition is literally getting bigger, and Honda may soon jump in on the action.
SUVs are huge business for automakers, and over the past few years we’ve seen new models crop up as they aim to fill every possible niche. Take the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, for example: an SUV that’s bigger than a “normal” Grand Cherokee, but not quite as massive as a Grand Wagoneer. Then Toyota brought out the Grand Highlander (you see a theme here?) — a larger version of your standard three-row Highlander. I’ll admit I was scratching my head with this trend at first, but it’s definitely taken off, as both brands clawed up wider sales margins after introducing these XL midsize family haulers. Now, it seems Honda is about to jump in with a “Grand Pilot”, of sorts, by reportedly developing a larger version of its current flagship SUV, according to Automotive News.
While the automaker hasn’t and likely won’t comment on this development anytime soon, a source close to the matter says Honda is working on a larger Pilot with more legroom, to take on those popular rivals. You can see where the company might be going with this in the sales numbers, considering the Toyota Grand Highlander now outsells its smaller sibling by more than two-to-one. Through the first half of 2026, US dealers clocked up 75,521 Grand Highlander sales (a 16% bump from last year), while the regular Highlander managed just 32,059.
There is a issue from Honda’s angle, however. If this SUV is indeed in its nascent stages, the actual production SUV may not hit the streets until 2032. Going back to the rivals again, that’s pretty much a full decade after their debut, not to mention Honda’s reported aim to offer another alternative to segment heavyweights like the Ford Explorer, Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade.
As it stands right now, the Honda Pilot pulls respectable numbers in its own right, selling 63,383 units in the first half of 2026. Nonetheless, consumer appetite for SUVs is still red-hot. We’ll have to wait and see exactly what comes of this report, and a lot can happen in the next six-or-so years. We’re expecting a ground-up redesign for the Pilot by the end of the decade, so we may learn more about what Honda is planning sometime soon.
