Hyundai Australia’s new CEO has declared adding a ute to its range his top priority. Don Romano, former head of Hyundai Canada, has been sent to Australia to oversee an overhaul of the brand amid a sales decline in recent years and the challenge of the New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
Romano has a close relationship with Hyundai’s global CEO, Jose Munoz, and will leverage that to finally get the brand into one of Australia’s biggest market segments. Hyundai has been notably absent from the ute contest despite the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux regularly two of the best-selling models in the country in recent years.
“I want it locked and loaded by the time I leave,” Romano said, admitting he sees his Australian stint lasting no longer than three years.
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He said he will investigate at least two options for a Hyundai ute, a version of the Kia Tasman and Hyundai’s commercial vehicle deal with General Motors. Romano admitted he has reservations about doing a Hyundai-badged Tasman, citing the very different design language and the diesel engine as potential challenges for a future ute for his brand. But he also made it clear he wants to get the decision right and won’t be rushed into a compromised solution.
“ You know, it depends on what we want, it really does,” Romano told Torquecafe. “If I were to go with a standard diesel I could probably get it in a few years, but is that really what we want for the market? And number two, how’s that gonna fit into the government’s plans for NVES?
“So we need to really kind of consider, do we just want another ute that everybody else has or what’s distinctly Hyundai?”
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The General Motors option is more intriguing as the two companies are yet to formally announce any details of their joint-venture projects, after revealing their partnership in September 2024. It’s believed GM has offered to produce a Hyundai-badged version of the Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, but Hyundai is understood to be pushing for a full-size American pickup based on the Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra.
What Romano did confirm is that this isn’t just a US-based decision, with a global Hyundai team – which includes Australian representation – all set to influence the products from the GM deal.
“ I cannot tell you whether or not that’s feasible at this stage,” he admitted. “I just know that we have the relationship now with GM and I know that we need pickup trucks in a number of markets, and not just Australia. I would say this is probably one of the more important, but the US is no less important, it’s much bigger. And so now what we’re doing is we’re assembling all the requests from around the world, and it’s being done by a new group that Jose Munoz has put together. Just to determine, what are the common grounds? What are the commonalities, what makes the most sense for the company globally? And I think that fits with the vision that we have here. Again, it’s easy to say, Hey, we’ll just take this vehicle and put a Hyundai badge on it, but I don’t think that’s what the market’s looking for – something new.”
Regardless of which path the company takes, Romano is adamant that getting the call on the ute correct is his priority, even if that means it arrives after he’s left Australia.
“ Honestly, I just can’t give a timeline because I want something unique that’s distinctly Hyundai,” he said. “That’s something we can differentiate ourselves with, not just another pickup truck. And I’m willing to wait a little longer, but I do want it in the product plan before I leave and go back home to Canada.”
What Romano did rule out is any chance of the smaller, SUV-based Santa Cruz ute coming to Australia, given it will be too expensive to source from its US factory at the current exchange rate and political climate.
“It’s made in the US, do I need to say more?” he asked.
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