[blackwasp]

According to a media report, Hyundai is looking to enter the pickup truck segment which is particularly popular in the US.

Back in 2015, Hyundai had showcased the Santa Cruz concept truck at the Detroit Motor Show. The upcoming pickup truck is expected to be based on this concept vehicle. The pickup trucks can be divided into two categories - mid-size trucks which include models like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma and full-size trucks which consist of the Ram 1500, Ford F150 and the Chevrolet Silverado. It is not yet known where Hyundai will position its new model.

A Kia-version of the same pickup is expected to follow with exterior and interior changes. That said, there has been no official word from Hyundai.







Source: Autocar

Link to the Team-BHP News

[Sankar]

Is this going to be a body on frame or a monocoque like the Honda Ridgeline? Won't be popular there unless its a bof.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by Sankar

Is this going to be a body on frame or a monocoque like the Honda Ridgeline? Won't be popular there unless its a bof.

Unlikely to be ladder-frame. Hyundai is in desperate need to improve revenue in the US, after a massive dip in 2018, and this effort is more to aid in those efforts, while keeping development costs down. It is improbable that Hyundai would invest in a brand-new ladder-frame just for this new model alone- perhaps something they might consider for future scalability, based on market performance of this first pickup.

[mail4ajo]

I believe it could be build on the recent Palisade platform. Unlikely Hyundai will build an all new body on frame platform without a full plan for vehicles. There is big demand for pickup trucks both in the US, Australia and other markets.

Now going back to the Chassis, Honda Ridgeline is a popular soft truck based on the Pilot. It has sold about 300K units since its inception in 2005. Still selling around 30K units. Have heard they have a good profit margin on the RLs. I was closely considering it.

Pickup truck sales pays the bill for the auto companies and its far from over. All companies worth their salt should try the segment.

[Vikram Arya]

This Hyundai Pick up truck is unlikely to find many buyers in the North American market. This is a platform based on Hyundai Tuscon compact crossover and that tells you something. It is likely to be powered by a four-cylinder gasoline/diesel engine.

Quarter ton pick up segment is a cut-throat market dominated by Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado and Nissan Frontier. Jeep Gladiator and the soon to be launched Ford Ranger will also jump into the fray come 2019.

Let’s look at the sales numbers (US only) in this segment for 2017; Toyota Tacoma sold 198,124 units followed by Chevy Colorado that sold 112,996 units and Nissan Frontier that sold 74,360 units. The lightweight pick up truck in the segment which is Honda Ridgeline sold all of 34,749 units in 2017 & this is the sub-segment that Hyundai will be going after.

Honda launched Ridgeline in 2005 and sold 45,493 units in the very first year which was impressive. The sales of Ridgeline have declined over the years and Honda has been unable to arrest the decline despite pumping hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrading the platform/drivetrain over the last 14 years.

Quarter ton trucks although largely a lifestyle vehicle also sometimes double up as work trucks or used for the weekend trip to the mountains sometimes with a couple of dirt bikes thrown in the back or to haul house old stuff occasionally. All the quarter ton pick up trucks offer a 4X4 option whereas Honda Ridgeline offers a torque vectoring AWD and 99% of the quarter ton pick up trucks that are sold have a proper 4X4 option.

As a potential customer, I would any day opt for a quarter ton pick up such as Tacoma, Colorado or a Frontier than a crossover style Ridgeline especially when there is practically no price difference. Here in Canada, the base price of a Honda Ridgeline Sport (Crew cab) is $42,711 and Toyota Tacoma 4X4 (a proper low range transfer case) (Double cab) starts at $40,325. As you will notice, the better equipped Toyota Tacoma is cheaper than Honda Ridgeline by $2,386. No wonder Tacoma outsold Ridgeline by 6:1 in 2017. There is definitely a price play that Hyundai can leverage to sell but it has its own pitfalls.

There is a certain brand heft that is required to sell in this segment and Hyundai currently does not have that; this pick up truck, on the other hand, might end up cannibalizing some sales of its SUVs and that might not be good news for Tuscon & Santa Fe that have just found a respectable place in customers' consideration set in recent years.

I can understand Hyundai’s eagerness to tap into a new segment but they would be well advised to bolster their SUV lineup and put money into electric/hybrid drivetrain platforms that will become critical for success in the not so far away future rather than sinking their dollars into a segment where they will find it hard to sell 20,000 units annually if that which is a pittance in a market where 2.5 million pick up trucks are sold annually.

Data source: http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/

[volkman10]

Hyundai pick -up truck spied:

The model will have Tucson platform, 2.5 engine aspirated from the Sonata and look inspired by the new Santa Fe.

The monoblock-type structure, which in this case will be shared with the Tucson SUV,follows there. But, unlike Santa Cruz, the production truck will have four doors and design aligned with the latest launches of the company, such as the new Santa Fe.

Hyundai's medium-compact pickup is likely to officially debut in 2021. And if the arrival in the U.S. is practically a certainty, it remains to be seen whether the model will be in other countries, including Brazil.

Link

[ds.raikkonen]

Given the success of FCA's RAM truck line, it is clear that a new challenger can make in roads given it satisfies 'latent' needs of a typical pick up owner in the US. For ex. giving a more luxurious cabin, bigger touch screen display, additional closed storage spaces in the deck etc.

Though my opinion is that the Korean giant, instead of going head on with established brands like the F-150, Colorado, Tacoma, 1500 etc, should utilize its partnership with 'Canoo' and develop electric pick ups as that segment will catch up fast in the near future. Look at the interest Rivian R1T and many other EV pick ups have created around their 'modular' platforms.

[turbo]

Call me a pessimist, but I dont really see this working.

My understanding is that the US truck market is largely rural and/or sub-urban, and within that too, more concentrated in the Republican states. And Republican rural households will never buy anything thats not American badged. (I say badged because the F series pickup trucks were(are?) built in Mexico.)

[RM Motorsports]

A recently leaked image that shows the truck's full-body. This leaked photo of the Santa Cruz gives us a clearer picture of what the Hyundai pickup truck will look like – at least from the side profile.

The photo confirms the short bed, and the sloping C-pillar that we first saw on the concept photos.

Source - Motor1

[Venkatesh]

Hyundai Santa Cruz Pickup Spied.















Source : Motor1

[volkman10]

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz, the compact pickup spied in Michigan,








Link

[ds.raikkonen]

Sometimes I wonder how the average US pick-up owner selects between any given truck depending on the hauling capacity. Specifically the brand, as body shapes and everything else is the same! Obviously, most end up with either Ford, GM or Toyota, but how do other brands woo new/replacement buyers?

Here on this side of the pond, buyers generally go for the Bolero MT/Pik-Up range and only a few odd ones go for the Yodha (probably huge discount from TATA).

Pretty sure McKinsey or some other research firm would have performed a study for each brand, given the size of this segment in the US.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by ds.raikkonen

Here on this side of the pond, buyers generally go for the Bolero MT/Pik-Up range and only a few odd ones go for the Yodha (probably huge discount from TATA).

The phrase "this side of the pond" is used to refer to US/UK, pond being the Atlantic ocean. I'm not sure if you are referring to UK market or our desi? To the best of my knowledge they don't sell Bolero range or Yodha in UK.

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

The phrase "this side of the pond" is used to refer to US/UK, pond being the Atlantic ocean. I'm not sure if you are referring to UK market or our desi? To the best of my knowledge they don't sell Bolero range or Yodha in UK.

Consider that in my case, 'the pond' refers to the Pacific Ocean, not the Atlantic.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by ds.raikkonen

Consider that in my case, 'the pond' refers to the Pacific Ocean, not the Atlantic.

Sure, suit yourself. Not sure if we can make our own interpretations but go right ahead. By the way, pacific ocean is nowhere near India. Some thousands of KMs away. But, like I said never mind.