Hyundai Thinks Truckmakers Like Ford, Chevy, And Toyota Are Missing A ‘Huge Market’

Hyundai has made no secret out of the fact that it wants a piece of the truck and SUV pie. How can a brand with little history in trucks break into the most valuable piece of the American car market? One of the designers working on its upcoming body-on-frame (BOF) program spoke with me at an off-road-themed XRT event in Bentonville, Arkansas, and she says that the sales pitch often misses her entirely. 

“I think the traditional truck market right now is selling to a customer that is not me,” said Mary Ryan, a color, materials, and finish designer. “I feel like they’re marketing to one type of person. They’re not really speaking to me.” That’s a revealing answer from someone helping shape Hyundai’s entry into the segment. 

When asked what established midsize trucks (the segment, not any one particular brand) get wrong, Ryan’s answer went straight to who those trucks are supposed to appeal to. Interior designer Harrison Yen picked up the same thread and made the demographic point explicit. 

“I feel like the general demographic is targeted toward males,” Yen said. “And I think it’s drastically shifting, and they’re missing out on a huge market. Perception is changing a lot, and I think we can capture more of that.” Women, then, are part of the opportunity Hyundai’s designers see as the company develops its pickup. 

Ryan’s comments also prompted a chat about how narrowly the industry pictures a truck customer. She pointed to styling and marketing when we discussed where that disconnect lies.

“The automotive market has a huge issue overall in that they don’t like to market to their primary buyer: Women. Women buy or influence 85% of all car sales and yet, very little marketing targets women directly; instead, ads are targeted to consumers who need a vehicle that suits their particular needs: family, commuting, towing, and the like,” explains Scotty Reis, of A Girls Guide To Cars. “So even if a truck or SUV will appeal to women, they may not get that message.”

During the event, we also spoke to exterior designer Kellen Gustine and Hyundai spokesperson Chris Paukert. The conversation covered the buyers Hyundai hopes to reach, the capability it needs to deliver, and how much room there is to rethink a type of vehicle with some very established expectations.

Far From Fantasy

There’s a major production vehicle coming that leads to all of these questions. Hyundai’s Boulder Concept put its body-on-frame aspirations in plain daylight. Sure, a BOF truck is all that’s confirmed for now, but let’s be real. The brand would be foolish to not take full advantage of all that research and development. That said, for now, Paukert was quick to clarify, over and over again, that Hyundai has only publicly committed to a body-on-frame truck. 

Circling back to Ryan’s comments, they come with a very practical question. How does Hyundai bring more buyers into the conversation without alienating the people who already want a traditional truck? Her answer considered the customer who wants a loud, trail-ready vehicle alongside the other people riding in it, and the way it gets used through the rest of the week. She put part of that consideration simply, by asking “Who else might be in the car?” 

Moving beyond gender, what should carmakers do about the large number of buyers who never actually go off-road? Or, even if the vehicle sometimes sees dirt, what about the other people who share that care and don’t necessarily prioritize off-road prowess. Given the likely ratio of hardcore users to regular users, Hyundai is considering an approach that aims at multiple members of the crew without sacrificing the “traditional truckines” all buyers seem to expect out of body-on-frame vehicles.

Tires, suspension, and noise all entered the discussion of those compromises. The team also talked about physical controls and the way a truck’s switch gear should feel. Those decisions shape the experience long before anyone reaches a trail and can affect whether someone wants to live with the vehicle every day.

Paukert also made clear that the body-on-frame program needs to reach well beyond the most extreme off-road customer. “Obviously, the majority of models will not be super-off-road focused,” he said. “They’ll be normal consumer mid-size pickup trucks. We can make headway in that area, too.” For the more serious off-road offerings, his expectations were straightforward.

“You have to be able to put your check down at the dealership, get your key fob, and drive out the door on the way to the trail,” Paukert said. “So you need to have underbody protection for that. You need to have locking differentials; you need to have those types of things to feel comfortable.” Speaking of that ethos, it brings us to the rest of the competition. 

Tacoma Is The Starting Point 

Walking into a room full of seasoned veterans as a rookie is never a reason to be overconfident. To that end, Hyundai knows it’s bringing a truck to a market with plenty of die-hard fans with their own preferences. For example, Yen acknowledged the advantage Toyota brings to a comparison between a Tacoma and a potential Hyundai rival. Specifically, heritage and trust.

“We have to come in and do that plus more in order to even be considered,” he said. He described being “as good as a Tacoma at a baseline” as the starting requirement, followed by additional features that might get a Toyota shopper to reconsider. The established players in the segment, even those at the bottom of it, already give shoppers a reason to feel comfortable. 

Hyundai has to be as capable and then give buyers an excuse to break from tradition. Paukert was blunt about how some soft spots in other segments won’t be enough to sway buyers.

“Nicer interior plastics are not going to get the job done,” he said. “There are certain things that are just table stakes at this point; you can’t mess those up. So just meeting the bar of the existing competition isn’t enough, because we’re outsiders in the segment.” 

Gustine described the work as earning a place in the category before pushing beyond its expectations. “Our team has done so much work to ensure that we have a product that checks all the boxes we need to check to be in the category and earn the space,” he said. “And we have some areas where we’ll challenge.”

There’s Room To Rethink What A Truck Looks Like 

Gustine also sees opportunities in the exterior design, too. “From an exterior perspective, the brands have gotten a little bit stuck in the rut of what a truck is,” he said. “The only truck that’s challenged is probably a Cybertruck.” That last example prompted a quick clarification from Paukert. “He’s not suggesting that we’re making a Cybertruck.”

The point was that the boundaries can be questioned. Paukert described Hyundai’s intended position as a “heart of the market product,” adding that the company is pursuing broad appeal. The Boulder concept should provide some insight. It’s very conventional but with some extra volume around the fenders. That said, the team will have to be thoughtful about blending traditional truck shapes while considering how it appeals to everyone in the vehicle. 

One thing that stood out in chats with Hyundai was just how much the team there is thinking about what happens after a purchase. Owners add equipment, change suspension, fit different wheels, and decide which accessories suit the way they use it. Hyundai wants to accommodate that behavior from the beginning. “Built to be accessorized, modified like a blank canvas is a big point,” Paukert said.

He mentioned popular features like upfitter switches and wiring as examples of provisions worth considering. In addition, he acknowledged that the brand will need to leverage relationships with aftermarket parts suppliers and accessory companies. Ultimately, the design has to account for what owners will do with it after they buy it. 

For the time being, Hyundai thinks it’s noticed a huge part of the market that’s being overlooked. The team behind this product knows that it has to give buyers a reason to break rank. Of course, that’s what Honda thought with the Ridgeline, and that hasn’t yet materialized into a sales hit after two attempts.

What Hyundai has going for it more than any other automaker right now is incredible momentum and a long streak of hit products.

Top photo: Hyundai