Hyundai electric ute could be on the horizon

Hyundai could be the next manufacturer to add an electric ute to its development plans, with comments made to Australian press seemingly confirming that a Korean plug-in pick-up is on the company’s radar.

The comments were made by Hyundai vice president of product and strategy Thomas Schemera. Speaking to Australian outlet Drive, Schemera alluded to the development of a second pick-up, following on from the brand’s debut of the Santa Cruz [pictured] for the North American market last year.

Quizzed about the chances of a Hyundai ute appearing down under, Schemera acknowledged the local interest in the segment. “I have had many discussions with the Australian market, I know there is a big demand for that and I really respect that,” he said.

He noted that engineering a vehicle in 2022 for primarily internal combustion engine application “doesn’t make any sense”.

“In this case, we have to shift also our way of thinking and operating for the electric vehicle [EV],” he added.

“This is a different typology and a different task for us. Weight, size, aerodynamics, assets, user experience. It’s not that easy to realise all that, but we already have ideas how to do it – but nothing has been decided.”

Hyundai’s sister firm Kia has confirmed that it plans to bring two electric utes to market by 2027. It’s possible that Hyundai could utilise the same platform, powertrain, and know-how for its iteration.

Hyundai and Kia both use the same E-GMP electric vehicle architecture across their plug-ins. For Hyundai it underpins the Ioniq 5 and upcoming Ioniq 6 (as well as the Genesis GV60), and for Kia it’s found underneath its EV6.

It makes sense for the two brands to share a ute platform, given how prolific shared platforms are in the segment. The Isuzu D-Max and Mazda BT-50 share platforms, as do the upcoming updated Ford Ranger and Volkswagen Amarok.

Rumours around Hyundai developing a ute for sale in Australasia have swirled for years. It’s been reported that Hyundai was developing a ute platform in Australia in 2019, with speculation at the time theorising that the brand was plotting a rival to the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux.

The brand then unveiled the Santa Cruz ute last year; a North American market exclusive that was much smaller than the likes of the Ranger and Hilux, two-wheel drive, and based on a unibody passenger car platform.