- Hyundai will construct its first midsize truck for the U.S. market earlier than 2030
- It will likely be a hardworking body-on-frame design, not a car-based mannequin like its present small truck
Hyundai is stepping into the pickup truck recreation. And, this time, it received’t be doing so with a light-duty trucklet just like the Santa Cruz. The corporate plans a body-on-frame truck design to compete with the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, and Chevrolet Colorado.
The information comes from a presentation to traders late final week. Hyundai CEO José Muñoztold the group, “Pickup vans characterize a white-space alternative we’re able to seize. The midsize truck section is among the largest and most worthwhile within the trade. Since launching Santa Cruz again in 2021, we’ve gained beneficial expertise and model presence on this section.”
He went on to say, nonetheless, that Hyundai’s subsequent truck won’t have a lot in frequent with the Santa Cruz.
“We’re getting ready to launch a brand new body-on-frame mannequin earlier than 2030 to construct out our truck portfolio,” Muñozexplained, “with the potential for an SUV variant.”
To translate that from engineering jargon, vans and SUVs come from two totally different buildings. Physique-on-frame building attaches the suspension and drivetrain to a ladder-style body, with a physique and cabin constructed on high. It’s used for off-road autos and work vans as a result of the body’s inherent flex retains the wheels involved with the bottom throughout uneven surfaces. That very same flexibility could make for a rougher journey in highway obligation, nonetheless.
Unibody building builds the automotive’s physique because the body in a single inflexible unit. It supplies a smoother on-road journey, however the lack of flex makes it tougher to construct a profitable off-roader.
Hyundai’s solely present truck, the Santa Cruz, is a unibody automobile primarily based on the Tucson SUV. We’re followers of its clean journey and light-duty weekend gardener hauling chops, however we wouldn’t attempt to use it like we might a Tacoma or a Colorado.
In a product roadmap revealed final week, Hyundai additionally famous that it’s going to co-develop 5 autos with Common Motors, together with “compact and midsize vans for Central and South America.” However that undertaking is listed individually from the body-on-frame truck, which seems to be a Hyundai-only effort.
