Whoa! Hyundai’s New Roadmap Includes Midsize Pickup Truck in the U.S. “Before 2030”
Hyundai’s latest plans include a new pickup truck to battle the Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Colorado, and more.
Justin BannerWriterMotorTrend StaffPhotographerManufacturerPhotographerSep 18, 2025
Kia Tasman pickup truck 34
Hyundai’s annual CEO Investor Day is where the company announces its product roadmap for the next few years. The most attention-grabbing announcement was Hyundai’s plan to introduce a midsize pickup truck to the North American market. And if that weren’t already ambitious enough given the difficulty foreign brands traditionally have breaking into the U.S. truck market, the idea is to have it on sale by 2030—a short timeframe to develop an all-new vehicle. But we have a decent idea of how the company might accomplish its goal.
For Hyundai to challenge Ford, GM, Nissan, Toyota, and Jeep in a hugely competitive vehicle segment so quickly, we believe the company will turn to another firm in Hyundai Motor Group and the Kia Tasman. The Tasman is a Korean-built truck for the Oceania and Asian markets in the vein of the Ford Ranger and the Toyota Hilux/Tacoma. We’ve heard rumors that camouflaged Tasmans are already running around the U.S., and if Kia isn’t going to bring it here—that company says it plans an electric truck instead—this logically points to Hyundai making it happen. It’s also the only way Hyundai could get a pickup to market on its self-stated timeline.
Kia Tasman pickup truck 20
What to Expect From a Hyundai Pickup Truck
It turns out the same 2.5-liter turbocharged I-4 and eight-speed automatic transmission used by Hyundai’s Genesis brand is shared with the Tasman. Genesis models offer rear- or all-wheel drive, and we’d expect a Hyundai truck to do the same. We’d also expect the all-wheel-drive system to be significantly beefed up for truckish tasks.
Although the 2.2-liter turbodiesel I-4 would make midsize-pickup fans salivate, it’s unlikely to make it to the U.S. It’s also doubtful the Tasman’s six-sped manual would make the trip, given what we’d think would be relatively modest sales volumes compared to trucks such as the Tacoma. It’s possible that hybrid power may be on offer, though; if so, Hyundai would be following Toyota’s lead. Hyundai is also committed to EREV vehicles—where an internal combustion engine serves solely as a generator for the electric powertrain—by 2027, so such a system could conceivably be on the menu, as well.
The other question would be the design. The Tasman has, well, unique looks that likely wouldn’t play well here. (Do they play well anywhere?) Hyundai’s version would have to keep the same basic proportions while hewing closer to an American sense of style. Of course, the company could just go its own way and tie into its “pixelated” design language, as seen on the Santa Fe and Ioniq 5.
Kia Tasman pickup truck 6
No matter how the Hyundai midsize pickup truck ends up looking or what powers it, this is clearly a very ambitious move that has the potential to inject new ideas into a fiercely fought segment. But that same competitiveness could make it even more difficult for the Korean brand to break through, as truck buyers are fiercely loyal. Of course, Hyundai has had great success entering two new markets for the brand in EVs (the Ioniq lineup) and luxury cars (the Genesis brand), so we’re eager to see how this plays out.
35 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV first drive
Additional Investor Day News
The overarching topic for Investor Day 2025 was Hyundai’s vision for where it sees itself in 2030, and electrification remained a key focus—in particular the aforementioned EREVs, which Hyundai says will offer range figures of more than 600 miles when they debut in 2027. Hybrids also dominate Hyundai’s 2030 strategy, with more than 18 new hybrid models to be introduced in the next five years. Full EVs remain a large part of the strategy, but Hyundai intends to tailor these to individual markets, including the Ioniq 3 for Europe, a locally designed EV for India, and the Elexio for China. China will also receive a region-specific sedan, but Hyundai didn’t offer any additional details on it or the India-market EV. In all, Hyundai expects to sell 3.3 million electrified units by 2030.
Increased Production
Also on track is Hyundai’s expansion of its production capacity, as the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Georgia is set to produce up to 500,000 units by 2028. The result of a $2.7 billion investment, the plant will add 3,000 jobs to the area and produce more than 80 percent of the Hyundai vehicles sold in the U.S., including 10 hybrid and EV models. Globally, Hyundai has targeted production capacity of 1.2 million units by 2030, including 250,000 units in India and 200,000 in Ulsan, South Korea.
25 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid grille
Justin Banner
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he’s had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He’s best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
