Hyundai Australia’s first foray into the burgeoning dual-cab ute market is still a few years off, according to the Korean brand’s local operating chief.
Speaking with media, Hyundai Australia chief operating officer Gavin Donaldson said the brand’s rival to the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux is still likely to launch around 2028.
“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,” Mr Donaldson said.
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Asked if Hyundai will even still want to compete in the dual-cab ute market in 2028 as more and more players enter the segment, Mr Donaldson stressed the importance of such a product in Australia based on volume alone.
“It’s 20 per cent of the market, so you’re not participating in one in five cars being sold [in Australia]. Then the secondary part is… it makes the second car in the driveway easier to sell,” he explained.
“If you have a product portfolio like Hyundai does, it will actually complement all the other vehicles that we do – so I think it gives us volume opportunities from that point of view.
“We are not walking away from a ute, we still want a ute. We’re in great consultation [with Hyundai Motor Company]. I think ultimately what it’s about [now is], it’s the powertrain we’re trying to get into the country.”
In a follow-up interview with CarExpert, product planning and development manager for Hyundai Australia, Tim Rodgers, reiterated local CEO Don Romano’s recent comments that the brand’s upcoming dual-cab won’t just be a rebadged Kia Tasman, for example.
“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.
Mr Donaldson and Mr Rodgers were then asked whether the Hyundai ute will lean more towards the Tasman in concept as a ladder-frame, heavier-duty vehicle, or be more akin to the Tucson-based Santa Cruz unibody ute available in North America – and the response was interesting.
“The concepts that we’re landing on cover both of those bases,” said Mr Rodgers.
Mr Donaldson added: “I think a body-on-frame is what we’ve got to look for to be competitive”.
PR boss for Hyundai Australia, Bill Thomas, then added some further context.
“I think the Santa Cruz is an interesting vehicle – it was the subject of the biggest ever research program that our company’s done globally,” said Mr Thomas.
“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.
“I think there’s always this hunger for us to look at the market and fill it with particular products. With Australia I know we’ve been doing extremely detailed reports and requests to Hyundai Motor Company for some years, and that continues [for the ute].
“We now have more surety about what’s coming and when. There are still a few options that [global HQ] might consider, but we’re in a good place with it,” Mr Thomas added.
The mystery dual-cab from Hyundai has been a discussion topic for more than a decade, but at this stage it won’t be based on the Kia Tasman, and it’s unclear whether it forms part of a multi-product partnership between Hyundai and General Motors.
A dedicated electric ute had already been confirmed to be in development, andtrademark filingsfor the nameplates Ioniq T7 and Ioniq T10 surfaced last year. It could also potentially spawn a ladder-frame 4WD SUV on the same platform.
“We can’t really get into it right now, but we do have an option that’s coming out. It’s not necessarily a plug-in hybrid, but it is going to be a different type of hybrid, that’s all I can say,” explained Don Romano in November, suggesting the ute could be offered as an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
“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. 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.
“Now you have MG with the ute out there, you see the [BYD] Sharks driving around – I mean, it’s going to just get tougher and tougher, and I think we have to really think differently,” Hyundai’s local boss added.
“And I believe [Hyundai Motor Company CEO] José Muñoz, who’s leading this charge, is thinking very differently. I wish I could get into more detail with you at this stage – I can’t, but I can tell you with confidence it’s coming.
“My work permit goes for another two and a half years. I’m not leaving until it’s coming… We’re going to get together, and I’m going to talk to you about it.
“It’s a guaranteed, here’s the date, here’s the vehicle, here’s the differentiating features, and if they produce what they’re talking about at this stage and what we’re working on, it’s going to be mind-blowing, it’s going to be great,” Mr Romano concluded, back in November.
In 2025, 4×4 utes accounted for a massive 212,513 registrations in Australia, an increase of 4.7 per cent year on year.
Leading the charge was Australia’s favourite car, the Ford Ranger, which accounted for 53,694 units of that figure – and that’s not including 4×2 versions, either.
The Toyota HiLux accounted for 43,661 4×4 registrations, followed by the Isuzu D-Max with 21,085. Meanwhile, the Kia Tasman only accounted for 3924 units despite huge pre-launch hype.
Hyundai Australia is clearly taking its time to ensure its first dual-cab ute doesn’t follow the Tasman’s form, with differentiation from key market players a top priority for its upcoming model.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest.
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