Could This Highly Anticipated Pickup Knock the Holy Trinity of Trucks off Their Pedestals?

Hyundai’s really gunning it for the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier.

Rear view of a gray Hyundai Santa Cruz 2.5T pickup truck kicking up dust on a dirt road.

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Published February 27, 2026

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Updated February 27, 2026

Hyundai’s really preparing to shake up the midsize pickup truck world. The Korean automaker announced the prospect last year.

At the time, CEO José Muñoz made it apparent that Hyundai was looking to chase after the rugged market following a lukewarm reception with its Santa Cruz. Now, in a recent follow-up interview, Hyundai executives really shared who their intended targets are.

Toyota, Ford, GM and Nissan be damned

Red four-door pickup truck driving on a dirt road in a desert landscape with mountains in the background. — Hyundai’s really putting forth a serious effort to build a proper midsize pickup.

Speaking with Hyundai Australia’s chief operating officer, Gavin Donaldson, our friends down yonder at CarAd v ice learned who the brand is really going after. The proverbial Toyota Tacoma (Hilux) and Ford Ranger.

“Strategically, it’s still a work in progress. It’s leaning towards a couple of years from now… and it’s still [being developed] in collaboration with the US,” Donaldson remarked.

A black Hyundai pickup truck driving off-road on a dusty dirt path with hills in the background during daylight. The vehicle is kicking up dust as it moves, highlighting its rugged capability. — The Santa Cruz is one of Hyundai’s first pickups.

Donaldson is referring to Hyundai’s recent decision to team up with General Motors to produce new vehicles. Back in August, GM and Hyundai entered a partnership to cooperatively develop up to five new vehicles.

Rumors suggest the new Hyundai pickup could make use of this new partnership, with the automaker sharing a platform. The specific platform isn’t known.

Red Hyundai pickup truck driving on a dirt road in a desert landscape with mountains in the background. — Hyundai recently discontinued the Santa Cruz in America due to sluggish sales.

But all roads lead to a likely cooperative build and component sharing with the next-gen Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon. Previous hearsay suggested Hyundai might use the same platform as the new Kia Tasman. However, so far, the rumor has been debunked.

“We are in a relationship with General Motors, and we’re looking at that relationship. But it isn’t a done deal yet. We may go on our own,” Don Romano, Hyundai Australia’s chief previously told CarAdvice. “We did look at ‘do we share a platform?’ And I won’t rule it out as an option, but it would have to be different than what they came to market with because, again, it’s getting back to the differentiation.”

CEO José Muñoz confirmed last year that a new body-on-frame midsize truck will replace the Santa Cruz.

Hyundai USA

With Hyundai setting its sights on the Tacoma and the Ranger, having a definitive target will certainly help the company focus on making the right pickup. And that’s a big ordeal for the brand, according to Hyundai Australia’s product development and planning chief, Tim Rodgers.

It has to be “the right ute, not just any ute”

Two modern Hyundai pickup trucks are parked on a flat paved surface in a desert landscape during sunset. The truck on the left is red, and the one on the right is silver-gray. Both vehicles have a bold front grille design with horizontal LED headlights and black wheel arches. Mountains and sparse desert vegetation are visible in the background. — Hyundai sees more potential success with a more rugged pickup, versus the car-based Santa Cruz.

“We want to get the right ute, not just any ute,” Mr. Rodgers said, “Australian buyers have very specific needs we want to address, but we also know we can’t come in with just the same ute everyone else has.”

“Ute” is the colloquial term to describe any vehicle with an exposed open bed. Originally, Australians used “ute” to distinctively describe a specific car-based pickup, known as the Holden Ute.

Matte gray off-road SUV with roof lights and rugged tires driving on a dusty desert trail at sunset. — Hyundai debuted the Crater Concept not too long ago, which hints at what we can expect stylistically with the new pickup.

CarAdvice asked if it’ll continue with the prospect of it using a more rugged ladder-based frame, or if it’ll be more car like, similar to the outgoing Santa Cruz.

While CEO Muñoz confirmed its body-on-frame chassis, Rodgers said slightly otherwise: “The concepts that we’re landing on cover both of those bases.”

A gray Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck driving off-road on a dusty, rugged terrain with hills in the background during sunset or early morning. The truck is moving away from the camera, kicking up dust behind it. — It wasn’t long for this world, but the Santa Cruz was certainly underappreciated.

“I think a body-on-frame is what we’ve got to look for to be competitive,” Donaldson added.

“I think the Santa Cruz is an interesting vehicle,” mentioned Bill Thomas, Hyundai Australia’s PR chief.

Kia Tasman Truck — Rumors suggested Hyundai’s new pickup could be a spawn-off from the Kia Tasman.

“It was a huge piece of market research, and they saw there was a gap in the market for that kind of vehicle; a more lifestyle, more useful utility that wasn’t a so-called body-on-frame pickup in the States – and they sold every one they could make, and are still going quite well with it.”

“We now have more surety about what’s coming and when. There are still a few options that [HQ] might consider, but we’re in a good place with it,” Thomas concluded.

About the Author: Chris Chin is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, trucks and anything else with four wheels. He has over a decade of experience writing news and reviews but considers himself an enthusiast first, with a passion for classics and European cars. His daily driver is a 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL with nearly 250,000 miles (87,000 are his).

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