It feels fair to say that the midsize truck segment is hotter than ever. Toyota makes one, Nissan makes one, Jeep makes one, Ford makes one, Chevrolet and GMC make one, Ram has one coming, and now there’s a new contender on the horizon. If you go off-roading in 2030, you might see a midsize Hyundai out on the trails with a cooler in the bed.
Yep, prior to its 2025 investor conference, Hyundai announced that it’s building a midsize truck for America by 2030. While Hyundai already has experience in the compact pickup arena with the Santa Cruz, building something to go toe-to-toe with the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, and Ford Ranger is another thing entirely. In this segment, pretty much everything is body-on-frame, trailering capacities are rivaling those of older full-size pickup trucks, and off-road capability is basically mandatory. If this truck sticks to the norms of its segment, we could be looking at Hyundai’s first body-on-frame U.S.-spec vehicle that isn’t a semi truck. Wild.
Obviously, the chicken tax on light-duty trucks means Hyundai will probably want to build its U.S.-market midsize truck in North America, and while a specific plant hasn’t been confirmed, it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if Hyundai’s Georgia Metaplant gets it. The automaker has stated that its Georgia plant “is expected to produce a mix of 10 hybrid and EV models,” and with the Toyota Tacoma already offering a hybrid powertrain, it seems prudent to develop one for an in-house midsize truck. I guess we’ll know in the next five years, right?
Speaking of things to look forward to by 2030, Hyundai also plans on launching a range of extended-range electric vehicles, cars that primarily run on electricity but have combustion engines as generators for covering seriously long distances. The automaker’s touting a combined range of more than 600 miles, although the battery strategy sounds different than the huge packs seen in upcoming range-extender models like the Ram 1500 REV (formerly known as the Ramcharger) and Scout Terra:
Unlike conventional EREVs, Hyundai’s approach utilizes in-house high-performance batteries, achieving full EV power performance with less than half the battery capacity, improving accessibility while maintaining exceptional range and performance, and eliminating range anxiety.
Smaller battery packs than traditional range extender hybrids is an interesting move because many jurisdictions with EV mandates have fairly rigid electric range rules for zero-emissions vehicle credits. Canada requires that plug-in hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles be capable of travelling at least 50 miles on electric power alone to be eligible for credits, and the recently implemented Euro 6e-bis emissions standard applies harsher judgment than before on the proportion of mileage driven on electric power.
Obviously, traditional hybrids that can drive the wheels using their combustion engines remain on the docket too, with the first hybrid Genesis model still on track for 2026. Considering models like the GV80 SUV are lovely but thirsty, an efficiency boost is just what the luxury wing needs. While Genesis does use electrified superchargers, stepping things up from a few dozen to a few hundred volts really ought to drum up further interest.
Oh, and if you’ve been eagerly wondering if more rubber-burning shenanigans are coming as you read this, Hyundai’s also plotting more high-performance N cars. While the current global lineup consists of the pint-sized i20 N, the i30 N hatchback, the feisty Elantra N, the trendsetting Ioniq 5 N EV, and the Ioniq 6 N electric sedan, that’s growing to “more than seven models by 2030,” which means we can expect at least two more performance cars from the brand in the next five years.
So, from a truck to range-extender hybrids to more track-tuned high-performance cars, there’s a lot to look forward to from Hyundai by 2030. Sure, it’s possible that a production version of the N Vision 74 concept is one of the upcoming N cars, or that not all EREV models will make it to America, but we’ll just have to give it a couple whole calendar flips to play out.
Top graphic images: Toyota; Hyundai
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
The post Hyundai To Launch A Tacoma-Fighting Midsize Truck In America, 600-Mile Range EREV appeared first on The Autopian.
