Hyundai and GM will team up for a diverse range of vehicles – including a one-tonne ute – but plans are highly regional for now.
Hyundai and General Motors’ plan to co-develop vehicles will – for now – focus on North and South America, lowering the chances of the South Korean brand’s one-tonne ute coming to Australia.
The mid-size pick-up, which is expected to rival the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, is one of five co-developed vehicles from the world’s third and fourth largest (Hyundai and GM, respectively) automakers.
The latest announcement outlines the products to stem from a development program announced by the two companies in September 2024.
Among the planned vehicles are a compact SUV, small car, and compact pick-up truck designed for sale in Central and South America.
An electric commercial van for North America is also planned, likely to be a smaller van than the Chevrolet BrightDrop already on sale in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
MORE: Electric car shipping halted by top US cargo giant over fire risk
Also tabled for production is a new mid-size pick-up, likely a replacement for the Chevrolet Colorado, which in some Central American markets continues as an updated version of the Holden Colorado that first went on sale in 2011.
While the official announcement from Hyundai and GM locks the new mid-size pick-up to the Central and South American region, this new ute could form the basis of Hyundai’s answer to utes like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux.
While the Hyundai Group already has a similar ladder-frame ute in its portfolio, in the form of the Kia Tasman, pricing pressures and region-specific demands may see the GM co-developed ute as a more affordable solution for those markets.
This move potentially also locks out the possibility of right-hand drive, but Hyundai’s Australian CEO has indicated that a ute will be coming, but didn’t elaborate on what form that vehicle might take.
MORE: Donald Trump slams ‘stupid and seriously woke’ Jaguar rebrand
GM has indicated that the compact models and mid-size ute are all to be developed with the flexibility to be powered by either traditional internal combustion or hybrid powertrains, but shared no further details on where those would be mild-hybrid, closed-loop hybrid, or plug-in hybrids.
The sharing arrangement will see GM and Hyundai use common platforms for the new vehicles, with each company fitting unique bodywork and interior designs in keeping with the respective brand’s design identity.
The agreement also extends beyond vehicle engineering and will see the two companies’ team up on materials sourcing, transport, and logistics.
MORE: Australian Government called upon to axe electric car subsidies
The two companies are also looking to further their cooperation on low-carbon emissions steel used in production, and have opened the door to further programs for global markets, including internal combustion, hybrid, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell powertrains.
In a statement, Shilpan Amin, GM senior VP and global chief procurement and supply chain officer said, “By partnering together, GM and Hyundai will bring more choice to our customers faster, and at lower cost.’
“These first co-developed vehicles clearly demonstrate how GM and Hyundai will leverage our complementary strengths and combined scale.”
Design and engineering work has already kicked off for the new models, with a lauch date scheduled for 2028.
The post Hyundai confirms first Ford Ranger rival, but may skip Australia appeared first on Drive.