If you’re an avid reader of The Drive, you may have noticed a tidbit in this morning’s edition of The Downshift about Hyundai bringing a midsize pickup to the United States by the end of the decade. That came out of the announcement accompanying Hyundai’s investor presentation in New York City this morning, but after reviewing the proverbial tape, it sounds like Hyundai is actually preparing a multi-pronged body-on-frame offensive aimed at the U.S. market, and we may end up getting both a midsize truck and SUV out of the deal.
“Pickup trucks represent a white-space opportunity we are ready to capture,” CEO José Muñoz said during his presentation. “The midsize truck segment is one of the largest and most profitable in the industry. Since launching Santa Cruz back in 2021, we’ve gained valuable experience and brand presence in this segment.”
“Now, we are preparing to launch a new body-on-frame model before 2030 to build out our truck portfolio, with the potential for an SUV variant,” he continued. “This expansion allows us to broaden our reach and connect directly with customers at the heart of the US market.”
Muñoz then pivoted (somewhat ironically) to updates on the company’s electrification efforts, leaving us with only that tantalizing tidbit.
This means that we’re not only on track to get a new midsize, body-on-frame Hyundai pickup before 2030, but quite possibly an SUV too, giving Hyundai a competitor to the Toyota 4Runner and, to a lesser extent, the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.
Just last year, we heard that GM and Hyundai had formed a partnership to explore joint development opportunities. While rumors suggested that Hyundai might get a pickup out of the deal, that’s likely to be aimed at other global markets. This latest announcement points toward a wholly-owned Hyundai platform and vehicle for its U.S.-bound trucks.
So far, our only example of a Hyundai pickup truck is the Santa Cruz. It’s a perfectly fine little trucklet, but like the Ford Maverick, it’s somewhat hamstrung by the fact that it shares its fundamental underpinnings with a small unibody crossover, and in Hyundai’s case, since it was designed as more of a lifestyle truck than a practical pickup, the Santa Cruz’s bona fides aren’t really anything to write home about.
More than that, a new midsize body-on-frame platform would give Hyundai a jumping-off point to other truck-y segments, from larger pickups to premium off-road SUVs. Just think, by the middle of the next decade, Genesis might be building its own take on a Geländewagen. What a world, eh?
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