Hyundai is working on its first body-on-frame ute with the help of General Motors, and the new model is set to feature familiar underpinnings.
GM Authority reports the new Hyundai ute, thus far confirmed only for Latin America where it’s due on sale in 2028, will be based on an updated version of GM’s 31XX-2 platform.
This debuted in 2022 under the current US-built Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, and is a heavily overhauled version of the ladder-frame architecture used for the current Latin American Chevrolet S10 as well as the now-defunct Holden Colorado.
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GM is leading the development in Brazil of the platform, which will underpin not only the new Hyundai ute but also a replacement for the current Chevrolet S10. It’s being designed to accept both internal combustion and hybrid powertrains.
In addition to a hybrid, it seems likely the new Hyundai and GM utes will feature diesel power. Currently, the US-market Colorado/Canyon duo is offered exclusively with a turbocharged 2.7-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.
GM Authority reports the platform will also support single-cab body styles, as well as a rear axle supporting greater load capacity – though notably, the current Colorado/Canyon already features the live/leaf-sprung rear axle setup common in this segment, while offering 3490kg of braked towing capacity.
The new ute will be among the first of five models developed together by Hyundai and GM as part of a partnership the Korean and American automakers established in September 2024. Hyundai’s ute is also expected to feature greater differentiation from its GM cousin, rather than being a straight rebadge.
Whether we’ll see Hyundai’s new GM-based ute in Australia remains a mystery, as the brand continues to be coy about its first ute for this market.
We know it won’t be the current Tucson-based, US-built Santa Cruz unibody dual-cab, which is understood to be facing the chopping block.
Hyundai has confirmed it’s working on a body-on-frame ute for the US market, which will launch there by 2030.
It’s unclear just how different this will be from the Latin American-market ute due in 2028.
Hyundai Australia has indicated it’s working with its North American counterpart, so it appears the US ute is the more likely of the two to come to Australia.
“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,” Hyundai Australia chief operating officer Gavin Donaldson told Australian media in February.
“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.”
Hyundai has indicated it plans to offer a body-on-frame ute, like sister brand Kia does with its Tasman – though the Hyundai ute won’t be a mere rebadge.
The Korean automaker appears to have a collection of utes in the works, with trademark filings for the Ioniq T7 and Ioniq T10 nameplates suggesting there’s an electric ute or two in the mix, too.
The Ford Ranger led the Australian new-car market in 2025, with the Toyota HiLux sitting in third and the Isuzu D-Max in fourth.
All up, this segment – including both 4×2 and 4×4 utes from brands as diverse as BYD and Volkswagen – accounted for 19 per cent of the total market.
Even more brands are entering the segment, with Chery launching its first ute in Australia – complete with a diesel plug-in hybrid powertrain – later this year.
MORE: Hyundai’s first ute for Australia “still a work in progress”