For decades, the mention of a Hyundai pickup truck conjured images of the utilitarian Porter, a relic confined mostly to Korea. That started to change with the introduction of the unibody Santa Cruz in 2021. Now Hyundai is officially shedding its niche status. The brand is doubling down on rugged utility, developing two new workhorses. A mid-size pickup for Central and South America and one completely separate for the North American market by the end of the decade.
The excitement is building. Hyundai Australia’s CEO, Don Romano, is already cranking up the hype machine for their new, yet-to-be-named Ford Ranger rival. Romano dismissed any suggestion that their body-on-frame truck would be a simple rebadge of a GM platform or a thinly disguised Kia Tasman clone. Romano declared: “We could easily take another platform and just re-badge it, but that is not acceptable, especially now”. He vows the final product will be “mind-blowing, it’s going to be fantastic”.
The secret weapon to deliver this “mind-blowing” experience appears to be in the powertrain. Romano cryptically hinted at “a different kind of hybrid”, but “not necessarily a plug-in hybrid”. This is a barely disguised reference to an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) setup.
In this system, a gasoline engine acts purely as an onboard generator, never mechanically connecting to the wheels. The vehicle behaves like a pure EV, with the internal combustion engine simply charging the battery, which, in turn, powers the electric motors driving the wheels.
Hyundai has already committed heavily to EREV development, joining rivals like Volkswagen’s Scout Motors and Stellantis’s Ram. The first EREV models are due in 2027. It promises EV performance and refinement along with a combined range exceeding 966 kilometers.
This is a high-stakes gamble, as the segment is already competitive, with Toyota recently launching the ninth-generation Hilux and an onslaught of Chinese pickups pressuring established players. Romano’s belief is that Hyundai will distinguish itself by offering unique technologies. His final word to the competition? “Yes, we’re late, but we’re going to arrive stronger”.
