Hyundai ute: Ford Ranger rival will be a rebadged Chevrolet – report
03/20/2025 10:00 PM
Hyundai could gain access to the Chevrolet Colorado in the US rather than building its own petrol-engined ute from scratch, in exchange for electric commercial vans.
Hyundai’s rival to the Ford Ranger ute could reach fruition through a partnership with General Motors, making an Australian launch unlikely due to a lack of right-hand-drive production.
Reuters reports Hyundai and General Motors (GM) are close to finalising a deal which could see GM share a version of its mid-size utes – the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon – with Hyundai in exchange for two electric commercial vans for the United States and Canada.
The move would see Hyundai launch its first ute based on a ladder-frame chassis as its current ‘lifestyle’ offering, the Hyundai Santa Cruz, uses car-derived underpinnings shared with the Tucson SUV.
Sister company Kia has launched its Tasman ute, due in Australia in July 2025, on a ladder-frame chassis with petrol or diesel power – however, it will be built in South Korea, which would see a 25 per cent ‘chicken tax’ tariff imposed if Kia or Hyundai decided to sell a version of the Tasman in the US.
Instead, the two companies are developing electric utes for the North American market – closer in size to a Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 – with Hyundai considering the addition of a petrol-engined mid-size ute, similar to the Ford Ranger, through its partnership with General Motors.
It would mean the proposed Hyundai ute with a petrol engine – likely to be made in GM’s Missouri, US factory – will not be sold in Australia, as the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are not built in right-hand drive.
Hyundai Australia has previously expressed interest in the Santa Cruz ute – also built in a US factory not tooled for right-hand-drive production – and said it is “looking at [a ute] in the future that would be electrified”.
MORE: Hyundai ute for Australia still a while away, and definitely won't be a diesel
If the Hyundai-GM deal is finalised, Hyundai is expected to offer GM two electric commercial vans built in South Korea, based on the mid-size ST1 – related to the Staria van sold in Australia – and a full-size model intended to rival the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter and Ford E-Transit.
The Hyundai-based vans would reportedly replace the aging Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana models in the US and Canada, which date back almost 30 years to 1996.
Production of the models would start in South Korea but move to a new commercial van factory in the United States by 2030, with tariff threats adding uncertainty to the talks, the report claims.
The partnership talks could include the sharing of semi-conductor chips, electric-vehicle batteries, and battery materials between Hyundai and General Motors, amid rising competition from Chinese manufacturers.
Hyundai is also reportedly considering giving General Motors access to its Creta small SUV – similar in size, but not related, to the Hyundai Kona – in Brazil, which would likely wear Chevrolet badges.
The proposed partnership between Hyundai and General Motors follows now-cancelled merger talks between Honda, Nissan and Mitsubishi to create the world’s third-largest automotive company, along with a parts-sharing deal between Toyota, Mazda and Subaru, in recent months.
The post Hyundai ute: Ford Ranger rival will be a rebadged Chevrolet – report appeared first on Drive.
