Hyundai has confirmed it will launch a body-on-frame Ford Ranger-sized ute "before 2030", with an off-road SUV spin-off likely to follow.
Hyundai's body-on-frame, dual-cab ute has been confirmed to launch "before 2030", potentially with petrol-electric hybrid power and an off-road SUV spin-off model.
At its 2025 CEO investor day, Hyundai announced it will launch a mid-size, body-on-frame pickup truck in the North American market "to establish presence in the industry's largest and most profitable segment".
A body-on-frame construction was recently mentioned by Hyundai Australia CEO Don Romano, who suggested the development time of a ute on a ladder-frame chassis "like the [Kia] Tasman… could be soon".
While it is unknown if the midsize ute confirmed for North America is the exact model in line for Australia, it is likely to be the preferred option over a separate, lower-cost model destined for South America, which will be based on a General Motors (GM) vehicle in a strategic alliance between the carmakers.
Hyundai has acknowledged that its market share in light-commercial vehicles – such as utes and vans – is lower than the industry average in the Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa, identifying the segment as a 'product opportunity'.
In Australia, Hyundai currently fields the Staria Load light-commercial van, and it is the only brand in the year-to-date Top 10 without a ute after the recent launches of the Kia Tasman, BYD Shark 6 and MG U9.
"In Asia Pacific, very important market for us, we are now deploying a new strategy with new structure of the group and focusing on markets which are very similar to the European or American markets, like Australia," Hyundai President and CEO José Muñoz said.
"We have an opportunity to be number one for the group in that market [in Australia, ahead of Kia].
"How? Well, a simple one is the introduction of pick-ups that we don't have in most markets. If you compare ourselves to other big OEMs, one of the biggest differences comes from the lack of pickup presence.
"The pickup is going to have an impact in North America, South/Central America and Southeast Asia."
In confirming the Hyundai-developed mid-size ute for North America, the brand said there is "potential for [a] body-on-frame SUV variant," which, if offered in Australia, would compete with the Toyota Prado, Ford Everest and Mitsubishi Pajero.
The newly developed 2.5-litre turbocharged petrol-electric hybrid system, first seen in the new-generation Palisade large SUV, has been confirmed as applicable to a "Mid to Large SUV / PUP [pick-up]", though engineering changes are likely to adapt it to a rear-wheel-drive-biased ladder-frame chassis.
And in a common industry move, the Hyundai ute could be twinned with the Tasman to amortise development costs of its new body-on-frame platform.
Dong Hoon Kang, Kia Vice President of Mid-Large Sized Vehicle Chassis Engineering Design Centre, told Drive the company is evaluating hybrid systems for utes and ladder-frame SUVs, such as the 2.5-litre turbo.
"We already have a hybrid system [in the Kia range], but now we are considering it is good for utes and/or ladder-frame SUVs. … We are not decided," he said.
"Now, the system that we developed in the Palisade, that's the FF [front-engined, front-wheel-drive] system. Tasman is FR [front-engined, rear-wheel-drive] system, so we need a FR system."
To avoid the United States' 25 per cent 'chicken tax' tariff for imported light-duty trucks, the Hyundai ute would need to be built in North America – not Korea.
The Kia Tasman is built in South Korea, while the Hyundai Motor Group's facilities in the US and Mexico are currently focused on producing monocoque cars, SUVs, and electric vehicles.
In May 2025, Hyundai Australia CEO Don Romano said he wants a ute program to be "locked and loaded" within three years.
“I’ll be here for three or four years. And I want the program locked and loaded before I go,” Romano said.
“I’m confident a ute will be on the schedule, but I’m not certain on the time.”
“The time will depend on the type of ute we develop. If we use a body-on-frame platform like the Tasman, that could be soon.
“My goal is to get something into planning and production and get the dealer side in place within three years."
Traditional diesel power is unlikely for Hyundai's ute in Australia, with the model expected to feature a petrol-electric hybrid system, along with the potential for extended-range plug-in hybrid or full-electric options.
Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
