Hyundai won’t copy the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux with its long-awaited entry into the ute market, dismissing any chance of rebadging the Kia Tasman in the process.
Instead, the brand will offer a “different ute” according to Hyundai Australia CEO, Don Romano, who said trying to compete with yet another diesel-powered ute simply doesn’t make sense. With the current diesel-dominated ute market reaching saturation point, Romano said Hyundai will look to offer an alternative, rather than a direct rival.
Asked what we can expect from the new Hyundai Romano said: “A different ute.”
He went on to explain his position in more detail, as demand for utes reaches breaking point.
Chevrolet Colorado“It can’t be another diesel ute,” he said. “I don’t think Australia needs another diesel ute. I think if you look at the Utes overall, you’re gonna see a decline in the volume this year. And I don’t think the world needs another diesel ute. So I think considering what we do and what we do very well, I think we have to look at options. And I can’t tell you whether it’s a PHEV (plug-in hybrid), an HEV (hybrid) or a BEV (all-electric), but I think those are options that have to be considered. And I think those are the areas that will give us an opportunity for expansion.”
While there have been previous rumours about Hyundai offering an all-electric ute, and that remains a possibility, the most likely initial ute offering will be something else as demand for electric utes remains soft. That points to the Hyundai ute being based on a General Motors platform, most likely the underpinnings of the Chevrolet Colorado, but with a Hyundai-developed plug-in hybrid or conventional powertrain.
Romano said he would watch the sales of the BYD Shark 6 PHEV ute with interest in the coming months, as Hyundai Australia gives its feedback to the global decision making process.
Despite ruling out a diesel, and therefore a rebadged version of the Tasman, Romano made it clear that he is hoping it’s a success for Kia as that will only help get a Hyundai ute developed faster.
“ No, I don’t think so,” he said when asked about using the Tasman as a starting point. “I mean, I can’t answer from an R&D perspective on a global basis because we are looking at utes on a global basis, so anything could change. But our position here in Australia is that we don’t need another diesel ute.
“But we do want Kia to be successful, because right now we see a decline in the total ute sales. And that could delay the development when people look at it and say, ‘is that really an important segment that we need to be in?’
“The answer is ‘yeah’ and we want to be able to point to our sister company to say, ‘look at the success that they’ve had’. Just having an open bed, you know, I think that’s important. But for us, we just don’t think it’s gonna be advised to come out with the diesel based on the Tasman body. So we want to look at different options, but that takes an extra year and it’s worth the time.”
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