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Hyundai Confirms Body-on-Frame Pickup Rivaling Ford Ranger Coming by 2030

19 September 2025| Number Of Visitors 2,576

Currently, Hyundai only has the Santa Cruz, a pickup based on the Tucson for the North American market, with a unibody structure that’s more car-like.

At the Hyundai Investor Day 2025, José Muñoz, CEO of Hyundai Motor Company, confirmed that Hyundai will launch a mid-size, body-on-frame pickup in North America by 2030, with the potential to spin off into an SUV model.

However, this new pickup appears to be separate from another similarly sized model being developed for Central and South America under a partnership with General Motors (GM).

Hyundai has not specified which powertrains will be used. The pickup developed for North America is unlikely to come with a diesel engine, unlike in Latin America where diesel pickups are common. With weak demand for electric pickups in the US, Hyundai may instead prioritize hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrains, starting with a new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid engine debuting in the Palisade SUV.

In the GM partnership, GM will lead the development of pickups for Latin America, while Hyundai will lead development of smaller pickups, as well as small SUVs and passenger cars for those markets. The first of these products is expected to launch as early as 2028.

For North America, the only co-developed vehicle listed so far is an electric commercial van, which Hyundai will lead development of, despite GM already offering such vehicles under the Chevrolet BrightDrop name.

Hyundai said that the pickup truck and light commercial vehicle (LCV) market has growth potential in many regions globally, and the company is aiming to strengthen its presence in this segment.

In addition, Hyundai confirmed it will launch a full-sized SUV in the US, positioned above the Santa Fe, Palisade, and Ioniq 9, to compete with the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, and Ford Expedition.

Muñoz concluded by saying that each region will take a different approach: in the Asia-Pacific, Hyundai will focus on hybrids, mass-market EVs, and larger SUVs and pickups.