Hyundai Pickup Truck? Not This Decade
Word on the street (and on certain Web sites) insists there's a Hyundai pickup truck in the making. Technically anything is possible, but we have it on good authority that Hyundai has backed off any plans to produce an open-bed vehicle. The costs are simply too high and the margins too low. Neither a midsize nor fullsize body-on-frame model washes out in the accounting department, at least in the short- to mid-term...
"What about the "BH" platform?"you say. Two words -- Honda Ridgeline. Even the Big H is struggling to move those off dealer lots. Can you imagine little H wanting to jump into that market? Neither can I. Hyundai will want their first truck to be a real truck, and they'll certainly keep studying the market. But if you're planning a summer of 2009 home improvement project you won't be doing it with a Hyundai truck. Got another project scheduled for 2015? Maybe Hyundai will be able to help out.
- Posted by
- Karl Brauer May 8, 2007, 4:20 PM
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- Categories:
- Future Vehicles, Hyundai
Why are the Ridgelines not selling? Most reviewers seemed to fall in love with it. Could it be that market wants a Ridgeline V8, or simply more power, than the Ridgeline offers?
The Ridgeline makes a great car with lots of extra storage. But so do a lot of other cars/SUVs/crossovers. And it doesn't make a very good truck. So it's kind of the answer to a question nobody asked.
They could make an El Camino version of the new Tiburon... that'd be unique enough to carve out a niche. It'd be a huge hit in downtown San Jose.
I see a lot of Ridgelines on the road where I live. I think it is the perfect Harry Homeowner vehicle. It's great for those who putter around the yard and who still want a family vehicle. I know I would not want to put messy mulch, yard waste, etc. in the back of a crossover or any SUV.