- The Hyundai Boulder concept features the brand’s first body-on-frame platform.
- It will first support a midsize pickup that will arrive before 2030.
- This platform will underpin future models, most likely including SUVs.
Hyundai isn’t shy about wanting a body-on-frame truck. The automaker confirmed it would build one last year, but now we’ve seen the platform that will support it. It’s disguised as the Boulder Concept, a boxy SUV that might as well be made by an automaker.
The Boulder has a two-box silhouette that uses Hyundai’s “Art of Steel” design language, which debuted at this year’s New York Auto Show. The automaker said the concept, designed in the United States, shows the brand’s future design direction.
The body-on-frame platform, a first from the automaker, will underpin a new midsize pickup arriving in 2030 and other future vehicles. This likely includes a future off-road-oriented SUV that will likely look very similar to the Boulder, if past Hyundai concepts are any indication.
Photo by: Hyundai
According to Hyundai, the Boulder’s boxy design gives the SUV an “aggressive approach, departure and breakover angles” and has “great fording depth.” It rides on 37-inch mud terrain tires and is equipped with a full-size spare tire on the rear hatch. The rear doors feature double hinges that open in both directions and a drop-down power rear window.
Inside, the Boulder has a retro-futuristic cabin. It doesn’t have a traditional display for the gauges, instead displaying important vehicle information at the bottom of the windshield, like a full-width head-up display. The round dashboard features four small square screens with physical controls instead of one large screen, which we hope is the future of in-car displays.
Hyundai didn’t mention the possible powertrains, but we expect the platform to accommodate pure electric, combustion and hybrid options. The automaker says it’s still in the “early days” of development of its body-on-frame platform, but the end of the decade isn’t far off, so we expect to learn more about the truck and other models in the near future.
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Source: Hyundai
Motorcycle Pickup1: Hyundai has been talking about a body-on-frame pickup for months, and now it’s one step closer to reality. Hyundai will compete with segment majors like the Toyota Tacoma, but midsize trucks remain popular, and Hyundai has made great strides in expanding its product lineup in a way that is acceptable to buyers.
