The market for mid-size pickup trucks is one of the largest and most lucrative in the United States auto industry, and that is why more automakers are deciding to get involved and launch new models in this segment. Hyundai is the latest carmaker to announce plans to enter the U.S. mid-size pickup truck market, after Ram confirmed recently that a “beautiful” new mid-size truck carrying the charging bighorn logo will arrive in North America in 2027.
Hyundai Is Jumping On The U.S. Mid-Size Truck Bandwagon
At its 2025 CEO Investor Day event in New York (see it in full in the video above), Hyundai Motor Company CEO, José Muñoz, said the automaker will launch its first mid-size pickup truck before 2030 in North America.
“Since launching the Santa Cruz in 2021, we’ve gained valuable experience and brand presence in this segment. Now, we are preparing to launch a new body-and-frame model before 2030 to build out our truck portfolio.”
José Muñoz, Hyundai Motor Company CEO
The new truck, for which details are understandably very scarce at the moment, will join the Santa Cruz compact unibody pickup in the brand’s U.S. lineup – assuming the Santa Cruz survives until then.
Unlike the Santa Cruz, though, the mid-size truck will ride on a body-on-frame platform like the majority of mid-size trucks in the U.S., with the notable exception of the unibody Honda Ridgeline, which is more of a niche model. That’s not exactly a surprise, because if Hyundai wants to compete with the segment leader, the Toyota Tacoma, as well as other models like the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado, it has to bring a body-on-frame mid-size truck to market. Interestingly, Hyundai indicated that it will develop the new mid-size truck for North America by itself. You may be aware that the Korean automaker is also developing a mid-size truck together with General Motors, but that project is for Central and South America only. The mid-size truck for North America will be a distinct project, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out in terms of powertrains, payload, off-road capability, durability and other pickup truck-specific metrics. The body-on-frame platform for the U.S. truck could be related to the one underpinning the Kia Tasman pickup available in global markets, although there’s no official confirmation on that.
The Body-On-Frame Platform May Also Spawn A Rugged SUV
Judging by the teaser image revealed by Hyundai, the pickup will adopt a four-door crew cab body, which is the default body style in the mid-size truck segment. It will also look rugged and muscular, as far as we can tell from the teaser image that shows a fully covered truck. There’s no official information on powertrains yet, but the Tasman’s 277-hp 2.5-liter gas engine paired with an 8-speed automatic seems like a good candidate for the U.S. truck. Mind you, Hyundai said at the CEO Investor Day event it will extend its range of hybrid models to more than 18 by 2030, so a hybrid engine for the mid-size truck should not be ruled out either. Interestingly, the platform on which Hyundai’s mid-size truck will be based also has “potential for a body-on-frame SUV variant,” Hyundai CEO José Muñoz’s presentation revealed. That means Hyundai may also offer a rival for the Toyota 4Runner mid-size body-on-frame SUV and similar models like the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. An exciting prospect, indeed. Hyundai will most certainly build both the mid-size pickup truck and the SUV in North America to make sure they are released at competitive prices, given the current prohibitive tariffs imposed on foreign-built cars. Hyundai Motor Group’s U.S. or Mexican plants look like the only logical choices at the moment.
