[valiant67]

Nissan tried with pickups and vans but are pretty much gone as didn't sell well enough. H/K will have a long road ahead of them in the US/Canadian market for a large pickup.

Hyundai/Kia had a long road to get to the point where they were a trusted brand in the US for cars and CUVs. I know the truck market will be tougher, but it's not impossible.
The Detroit brands need to quit thinking they "own" certain markets. They owned the car market and lost it. They owned the SUV market and are steadily losing portions of it. And Toyota has a larger share of the truck market than people ever imagined they would.
I don't know if H/K will go above a Ranger size BoF truck, who knows? But that is the faster growing category than full size trucks.

 

[Dave Z]

Nissan tried with pickups and vans but are pretty much gone as didn't sell well enough. H/K will have a long road ahead of them in the US/Canadian market for a large pickup.

Less competition in Canada once the USMCA agreement dies in July, if they import from South Korea. Big question of the future, where do you build?

 

[Adventurer55]

The fact a base truck has more equipment now than it did in the past isn't really the problem.
The problem is the buyer doesn't perceive the extra value for the extra price.
Chrysler used to be an expert at value packages (like the "America" models in the late 1980s or the Basic Group of the 1970s).
These gave you a lot of content with a modest price increase beyond a base vehicle.

I loved the Prospector packages on the trucks and Ramchargers

 

[Canucktruck]

The fact a base truck has more equipment now than it did in the past isn't really the problem.
The problem is the buyer doesn't perceive the extra value for the extra price.
Chrysler used to be an expert at value packages (like the "America" models in the late 1980s or the Basic Group of the 1970s).
These gave you a lot of content with a modest price increase beyond a base vehicle.

Cash conscious buyers don't see the value because the price is higher than they can comfortably afford. Base model being loaded is great, for those who want the extras and want to pay for them. There are hundreds of thousands of cash strapped buyers who would be fine with a cheapo LCD display, a cheapo grainy view backup cam, manual seats and simple auto windows.

Offering bang for buck is great but why can't we compensate minimalists also? Of course we could say buy used but in today's used market (in Ontario at least) $20,000 gets you an 8 year old civic with nearly 200,000km on it. Before covid those types of cars were $1000-$5000 at most.

I'm not sure why people can't see or understand this.

 

[Stéphane Dumas]

I wonder if Hyundai might use one of the planned vehicules done in a joint-venture with GM in South America to offer it in North America? Or even taking a big shortcut by having for example, a Colorado/Canyon rebadged as a Huyndai?

 

[Dave Z]

There are hundreds of thousands of cash strapped buyers who would be fine with a cheapo LCD display, a cheapo grainy view backup cam, manual seats and simple auto windows.

No, there aren't. If there were, the last cars like that would have sold well. They did not and they were dropped.
Toyota stopped Corolla sales from sliding by equipping them nicely.
I don't know what you mean by "simple auto windows." All power windows are about the same. Some have express.
Manual seats are still around on cheaper models. Unless you mean pickups. I haven't been in a pickup in a few years.

If people want a cheap car, they shouldn't be getting a big pickup. That steel or aluminum has to be paid for. A small car is still relatively affordable.

(I just tried to check it with the CPI calculator at BLS and it's giving me a lower number than I got when I checked in 2023 which means someone's monkeyed around with it, and I can't use it any more. That's pretty petty. I did a comparison at 1973 Dart Swinger and 1974 Dart Sport: Inside the Monroney FWIW. Yes, cars are more expensive now than in 1974, but they also last longer, start reliably, get far better mileage, etc)

 

[GasAxe]

You say that but GM sales and Ford sales and Toyota sales all beg to differ with your conclusions.

But I didn’t say sales were suffering, if that’s what you’re implying. I specifically said and was challenged on, that there isn’t a standout truck on the market. I don’t know for sure, but for the loss of market share by Ram alone, are the overall numbers of sales going to a particular truck brand, split evenly, or are truck sales down overall? I don’t think any one brand is capitalizing on Rams slide, I could be wrong. With no standout truck sales other than historic market shares, I can see why Hyundai is interested.

 

[freshforged]

There could be base trucks of all sorts being sold. The problem is the buying public won't buy a pickup with nothing on it. That used to be the norm for fleet pickups and straight trucks. If you worked for a governmental entity you drove a basic work truck, manual transmission, roll down windows and an AM radio. Look at them today.

I suppose if Slate makes it to market we might find out if this conventional wisdom is as accurate as you seem to think.

 

[keitho]

A lot of the public would love to get back to a basic pickup
But you have to prove it that way as well

 

[Adventurer55]

I would tend to believe a truck with these basics, A/C, some sort of lower end entertainment system and maybe power windows would sell if it was cheap enough. The problem is what people's view of cheap enough is. Wages in many parts of the country have been stagnate for so long that a lot of people simply cant afford a new anything any more. Plus the fact that greed is driving up rent and now the new thing, tech is installing these data centers which is causing the cost of electricity to skyrocket. Why should residents see their electricity skyrocket and subsidize these 100 plus billion dollar companies? Leave the rates the same except for these power sucking data centers. Charge them accordingly.

 

[Doug D]

A lot of the public would love to get back to a basic pickup
But you have to prove it that way as well

Depends on what the definition of a base truck is. A bare bones truck doesn't sell well. Aside from commercial buyers, no one buys a "base" truck. Despite what many say, they want the gadgets too.

 

[Dave Z]

But I didn’t say sales were suffering, if that’s what you’re implying. I specifically said and was challenged on, that there isn’t a standout truck on the market.

You said GM buyers were only doing it out of habit, and obviously that's not the case since GM gained share.

There are generally no standout vehicles of any kind on the market. Wrangler? Nope, Bronco is in that league now. Pacifica? Sienna and Carnival are pretty close. Corolla? Sure, if you don't count all the others that are similarly priced and not too far off the same mark. Real standouts are rare, most of the time. In a hotly competitive field like trucks, nothing will be standout for too long.

 

[Adventurer55]

I think GM truck sales are up because after several tries on minor restyles, they've found one that people seem to like. Ram needs to do this. They were so cheap with their midcycle refresh, most people said, What refresh?

 

[74Powerwagon]

The competition sees weakness in the current truck offerings. Can’t say there’s really a standout between Ram, Ford, GM and Toyota, in my opinion.

Ram does not make a mid-size to compete against any of the above and now possibly Hyundia in 5 years.

there is a large difference in the Ford Ranger, down on the bottom with the Nissan Frontier to the GMC Canyon on the top with the Colorado and Taco in between..

if ya'll had read the article this is about MID-SIZE trucks that Hyundia may build.

 

[74Powerwagon]

As others said and I’m paraphrasing, the price of trucks and perceived value no longer match. Ram sales have tanked as the brand abandoned near everything learned with the BR model. Ford is on fire with recalls😁. Toyota thinks adding Texas/Yellowstone-esque emblems is the key to adding sales. Nissan is out, and the GM twins are, IMO, nothing special to customers outside of brand loyalists. Makes sense that a new entry into the very lucrative pickup category would be tempting.

This thread is about Hyundia getting into the mid-size market, not about those that are in the full size truck market..
Ram does not make a mid-size truck in which this tread is about...

 

[Adventurer55]

Here's a midsize post, if Timmy doesn't call the new midsize truck a Dakota, he's a fool. My opinion.

 

[74Powerwagon]

ttps://www.motortrend.com/news/hyu...! Hyundai's New Roadmap Includes Midsize Pickup Truck in the U.S. “Before 2030”

Hyundai's latest plans include a new pickup truck to battle the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, and more.

Justin BannerWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerManufacturerPhotographerSep 18, 2025

Hyundai's annual CEO Investor Day is where the company announces its product roadmap for the next few years. The most attention-grabbing announcement was Hyundai's plan to introduce a midsize pickup truck to the North American market. And if that weren't already ambitious enough given the difficulty foreign brands traditionally have breaking into the U.S. truck market, the idea is to have it on sale by 2030—a short timeframe to develop an all-new vehicle. But we have a decent idea of how the company might accomplish its goal.

For Hyundai to challenge Ford, GM, Nissan, Toyota, and Jeep in a hugely competitive vehicle segment so quickly, we believe the company will turn to another firm in Hyundai Motor Group and the Kia Tasman. The Tasman is a Korean-built truck for the Oceania and Asian markets in the vein of the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Hilux/Tacoma. We've heard rumors that camouflaged Tasmans are already running around the U.S., and if Kia isn't going to bring it here—that company says it plans an electric truck instead—this logically points to Hyundai making it happen. It's also the only way Hyundai could get a pickup to market on its self-stated timeline.

What to Expect From a Hyundai Pickup Truck
It turns out the same 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4 and eight-speed automatic transmission used by Hyundai's Genesis brand is shared with the Tasman. Genesis models offer rear- or all-wheel drive, and we'd expect a Hyundai truck to do the same. We'd also expect the all-wheel-drive system to be significantly beefed up for truckish tasks.

Although the 2.2-liter turbodiesel I-4 would make midsize-pickup fans salivate, it’s unlikely to make it to the U.S. It's also doubtful the Tasman's six-sped manual would make the trip, given what we'd think would be relatively modest sales volumes compared to trucks such as the Tacoma. It's possible that hybrid power may be on offer, though; if so, Hyundai would be following Toyota's lead. Hyundai is also committed to EREV vehicles—where an internal combustion engine serves solely as a generator for the electric powertrain—by 2027, so such a system could conceivably be on the menu, as well.

The other question would be the design. The Tasman has, well, unique looks that likely wouldn't play well here. (Do they play well anywhere?) Hyundai's version would have to keep the same basic proportions while hewing closer to an American sense of style. Of course, the company could just go its own way and tie into its "pixelated" design language, as seen on the Santa Fe and Ioniq 5.

No matter how the Hyundai midsize pickup truck ends up looking or what powers it, this is clearly a very ambitious move that has the potential to inject new ideas into a fiercely fought segment. But that same competitiveness could make it even more difficult for the Korean brand to break through, as truck buyers are fiercely loyal. Of course, Hyundai has had great success entering two new markets for the brand in EVs (the Ioniq lineup) and luxury cars (the Genesis brand), so we're eager to see how this plays out.

 

[74Powerwagon]

No idea why Stelantis would even think about buildnig a mid-size truck now, Yes back in 2015 when they first announced they woud build one, and then cancelled it and then said yes they are then cancelled it and then said, we need to do a study on whether the US market can handle another mid size truck, they they said they were going to build one, then , well now is then..

 

[Adventurer55]

ttps://www.motortrend.com/news/hyu...! Hyundai's New Roadmap Includes Midsize Pickup Truck in the U.S. “Before 2030”

Hyundai's latest plans include a new pickup truck to battle the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, and more.

Justin BannerWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerManufacturerPhotographerSep 18, 2025

Hyundai's annual CEO Investor Day is where the company announces its product roadmap for the next few years. The most attention-grabbing announcement was Hyundai's plan to introduce a midsize pickup truck to the North American market. And if that weren't already ambitious enough given the difficulty foreign brands traditionally have breaking into the U.S. truck market, the idea is to have it on sale by 2030—a short timeframe to develop an all-new vehicle. But we have a decent idea of how the company might accomplish its goal.

For Hyundai to challenge Ford, GM, Nissan, Toyota, and Jeep in a hugely competitive vehicle segment so quickly, we believe the company will turn to another firm in Hyundai Motor Group and the Kia Tasman. The Tasman is a Korean-built truck for the Oceania and Asian markets in the vein of the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Hilux/Tacoma. We've heard rumors that camouflaged Tasmans are already running around the U.S., and if Kia isn't going to bring it here—that company says it plans an electric truck instead—this logically points to Hyundai making it happen. It's also the only way Hyundai could get a pickup to market on its self-stated timeline.

What to Expect From a Hyundai Pickup Truck
It turns out the same 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4 and eight-speed automatic transmission used by Hyundai's Genesis brand is shared with the Tasman. Genesis models offer rear- or all-wheel drive, and we'd expect a Hyundai truck to do the same. We'd also expect the all-wheel-drive system to be significantly beefed up for truckish tasks.

Although the 2.2-liter turbodiesel I-4 would make midsize-pickup fans salivate, it’s unlikely to make it to the U.S. It's also doubtful the Tasman's six-sped manual would make the trip, given what we'd think would be relatively modest sales volumes compared to trucks such as the Tacoma. It's possible that hybrid power may be on offer, though; if so, Hyundai would be following Toyota's lead. Hyundai is also committed to EREV vehicles—where an internal combustion engine serves solely as a generator for the electric powertrain—by 2027, so such a system could conceivably be on the menu, as well.

The other question would be the design. The Tasman has, well, unique looks that likely wouldn't play well here. (Do they play well anywhere?) Hyundai's version would have to keep the same basic proportions while hewing closer to an American sense of style. Of course, the company could just go its own way and tie into its "pixelated" design language, as seen on the Santa Fe and Ioniq 5.

No matter how the Hyundai midsize pickup truck ends up looking or what powers it, this is clearly a very ambitious move that has the potential to inject new ideas into a fiercely fought segment. But that same competitiveness could make it even more difficult for the Korean brand to break through, as truck buyers are fiercely loyal. Of course, Hyundai has had great success entering two new markets for the brand in EVs (the Ioniq lineup) and luxury cars (the Genesis brand), so we're eager to see how this plays out.

That's one butt ugly truck.

 

[LeonB]

As noted, Hyundai/Kia already makes mid-sized pickup/ute trucks as an earlier post notes for some other markets. The one in the picture reminds me of a mix of a Ford Ranger and a Jeep Gladiator. A good base, but would have to have mods to meet our crash and pollution standards but they should be able to do so as have the cash. Of course with the recent ICE raid at their under construction Georgia plant, may discourage them for now as would have to be built in the USA due to the truck tariff rules.