Hyundai is going after the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler with a new body-on-frame, off-road SUV. Hyundai’s unveiling promised serious suspension travel, off-road tires (the concept appears to be wearing 37-inch mud-terrains) and other goodies, including a dual-hinge tailgate, “safari” windows and much, much more.
“For the North American region, we are dreaming big,” Hyundai executive vice president SangYup Lee said.
The concept car has a solid rear axle and independent front suspension; the 37-inch M/Ts are wrapped around 18-inch wheels. The Boulder is expected to share a platform with Hyundai’s new body-on-frame midsize truck that will be built and sold in the USA.
You can swipe through some live photos from the NY Auto Show reveal that Joel Feder grabbed from the floor here:
“Boulder Concept’s off-road design focus not only conveys an imposing presence; it also enhances its off-road terrain credentials, enabling aggressive approach, departure, and breakover angles for exceptional off-road agility,” the company’s announcement said. “When the occasional creek might stand in the way of the Boulder, a generous fording depth helps to keep things moving safely and securely.”
“America is our home,” Hyundai President and Chief Executive Officer José Muñoz told the assembled crowd.
“The Boulder Concept demonstrates how Hyundai is seeking to give American customers more of what they want,” said Muñoz.
“Body-on-frame vehicles are the backbone of American work and adventure, and we intend to compete in the midsize pickup segment with everything we have,” he continued. “The body-on-frame truck is one of 36 new Hyundai vehicles coming to North America by 2030. We are entering segments we have never competed in before, and we are doing it the right way: designed in America, built by Americans for American customers.”
Those 36 new or significantly refreshed vehicles will be accompanied by 22 from luxury subsidiary Genesis.
Muñoz also plugged the company’s plans to build a new army of humanoid Atlas robots to help supplement human labor in its Georgia assembly facility.
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