The mid-size truck market is booming since Ford stepped back into it with the 2019 Ranger truck. For many years, the market consisted of the Nissan Frontier, Honda Ridgeline, and the Toyota Tacoma before GM came back with Colorado. Now that the 2019 Ranger is back and the market is heating up, brands that have never had a pickup offering are eyeing the segment. The one we know about already comes from VW and is called the Tarok. Hyundai has confirmed that it will have a production truck based on the Santa Cruz concept. Hyundai and Kia are under the same umbrella and recent reports suggest that Kia might get a version of the Hyundai pickup.
Much like the Honda Ridgeline and VW Tarok, the Hyundai vehicle won’t be a true pickup like the Ranger and other offerings in the segment. The Tarok, Ridgeline, and Hyundai trucks are “lifestyle” trucks that have less to do with hauling and towing than just looking good and giving owners an alternative to an SUV. A report going around suggesting Kia might also come to market with something to compete against the 2019 Ranger in the form of a version of the confirmed Hyundai production truck.
The Telluride fans over at the Kia Telluride Forums have whipped up some renderings of what the pickup might look like. The renderings look similar to what VW has already confirmed with the Tarok. The thought is that a Kia pickup would ride on the Telluride platform. A new platform for a Kia truck when Hyundai reportedly plans to use the Santa Fe platform for the Santa Cruz sounds unlikely. What’s more likely would be a version of the Santa Cruz just as Hyundai builds it with Kia styling similar to the GMC Canyon and Chevy Colorado twins. More mid-size trucks are a good thing and will only increase competition and make the segment better overall.
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Source: Motor1
Comment
Honestly I’m impressed that other brands are finally stepping into the ring. It’s making the big 3 American brands have to actually put some effort into creating their trucks, not just minimizing the current half ton models. Speaking of the Ford ranger, it doesn’t stand out at all and looks no different than the Colorado