Has Hyundai's planned Hilux-rival been put on hold until further notice
Arvind · Jul 11, 2023 03:00 PM
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Following reports that Hyundai and sibling company Kia were hard at work developing a pickup truck that would rival the Toyota Hilux now appears to have cooled off or perhaps even postponed.
While speaking to Australian website GoAuto, John Kett, chief operating officer for Hyundai Australia concurred that Hyundai Australia sorely needs a pickup truck to rival models such as the Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max, but the company isnât rushing to do it.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a sporty lifestyle pickup truck, but it's sold exclusively in the US market and isn't built on a ladder frame like the Hilux and Ranger
Mr Kett was asked about Kiaâs recently revealed plans to develop a Hilux-rivalling pickup truck by end-2024, crucially for the Australian market.
Kett said âWhen thatâs all announced, then we will have to think our way though. Just give us a chance to work our way through it. Weâre not panicking about it.â
However, he clarified even if Hyundai Australia did have pickup trucks as part of their model range, expectations would need to be conservative; especially in a hotly contested market with rivals such as the Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max, Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Triton.
âIt will be an incremental gain for usâ, he added.
However, Kettâs statements are somewhat more reserved than those made in April with optimism and hyperbole (to Australian website Which Car) that a Hyundai pickup was indefinitely coming to Australia.
Perhaps, itâs also a case of wait-and-see. There are no less than 15 pickup trucks on sale in Australia thus regardless of being one of the lucrative segments, competition is also very tight.
The new Ford Ranger topped the charts in the first quarter of 2023 in Australia, with 13,7129 units sold, followed by the Toyota Hilux and Isuzu D-Max with 12,653 units and 6,563 units respectively. The Mitsubishi Triton and Mazda BT-50 round off the top 5 with 4,197 units and 3,921 units respectively.
Establishing a foothold in the market would prove the toughest. Even the Volkswagen Amarok, which has been on sale in Australia for a few years, has never surpassed the 10k sales mark, though it remains a consistent seller within the Volkswagen range in Australia.
Additionally with all-new generations of the Volkswagen Amarok and Mitsubishi Triton promising to further shake up the market in 2024, perhaps business will be made even tougher on the potential newcomers from Kia and Hyundai.
Arvind can't remember a time when he didn't wheel around a HotWheels car. This love evolved into an interest in Tamiya and RC cars and finally the real deal 1:1 scale stuff. Passion finally lead to formal training in Mechanical Engineering. Instead of the bigger picture, he obsesses with the final drive ratio and spring rates of cars and spends the weekends wondering why a Perodua Myvi is so fast.
