[SVTKAR3]

Posted May 9th 2008 8:43AM by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Hyundai, Kia

Hyundai's on-again, off-again plans to bring a pickup to the U.S. market are... um, off again, and possibly for good this time. The news that neither Kia nor parent company Hyundai will offer a pickup should not come as much of a surprise, considering the sorry state of affairs in the U.S. truck market. Timing, as they say, is everything, though Honda's unibody Ridgeline pickup has actually weathered the storm well. A possible front-wheel-drive unibody truck competitor from Korea could have offered another fuel-saving choice for U.S. consumers who like the utility of a pickup but balk at the poor fuel mileage of the standard-fare full-frame rear-wheel-drive platform. Hyundai's not ready to take that bet, though, according to company CEO Kim Dong-Jin, who says, rather succinctly, "now is not the right time to produce a pickup truck." The Kia plant in West Point, Georgia will likely be used instead for the production of Hyundai passenger cars like the Sonata, which shares a platform with the Kia Optima that's already planned to be built at the plant.

[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

 

[SVTKAR3]

also..... http://www.leftlanenews.com/kia-scraps-pickup-truck-plans-for-us.html .

 

[2648562]

I think there would've been a demand for it, at least compared to full-size trucks. But it's probably not a bad move right now. GM needs to get in on it IMO. And/Or redesign the Colorado before its name is dirt (keep them made in the US though--trust me, I will be a covered wagon before I buy a foreign built GM product).

 

[johnstarnes]

That drawing of it sure looks cool, kind of like that concept GM hybrid truck whose name escapes me now with openings below the headlights like that.

 

[paul8488]

How fuel efficient is the Ridgeline? I can't believe it's all that much more efficient than any of the domestic pickups.

 

[Michael_S]

This is a smart move by Hyundai. This is not the time to introduce a pickup truck, even a mild unibody one.

How fuel efficient is the Ridgeline? I can't believe it's all that much more efficient than any of the domestic pickups.

Under the 2008 guidelines for fuel economy, it's even with the Silverado Crew Cab 5.3 4WD... which is pretty laughable.

I'm guessing the Honda V6 just needs to rev too high to move an un-aerodynamic 4500 pound truck around. The Silverado's 5.3 liter V8 may only have a four speed auto, but I bet it spends most of its time, when not loaded, loafing in fourth gear.

 

[t-rex]

The Silverado's 5.3 liter V8 may only have a four speed auto, but I bet it spends most of its time, when not loaded, loafing in fourth gear.

Boatloads of torque will do that fer ya!

 

[Hudson]

...A possible front-wheel-drive competitor from Korea could have offered another fuel-saving choice for U.S. consumers who like the utility of a pickup but balk at the poor fuel mileage of the standard-fare full-frame rear-wheel-drive platform.

From everything that I was hearing (and, granted, my best information is a year old now), the truck (atleast the Hyundai version) was to be a "real" truck, so much so that they hired Big 3 people to design it. My impression was that it was not going to be a FWD-based truck but would actually be a RWD-based, full-frame truck.

 

[Michael_S]

Boatloads of torque will do that fer ya!

No question. I'm generally a Honda fan, although they seem to have lost their way a bit. But the people I know with Silverado half-tons with the 5.3 all seem to get 17 miles per gallon or slightly better when they do mostly highway driving. Considering the size, weight, and aerodynamics of a pickup, that's a pretty impressive figure.

I've read a few Ridgeline owner claims of mileage in the low 20s, and that's pretty good too. But the average seems to be no better than the Silverado, and that's disappointing on a smaller, lighter, weaker vehicle.

 

[USA1Fan]

No question. I'm generally a Honda fan, although they seem to have lost their way a bit. But the people I know with Silverado half-tons with the 5.3 all seem to get 17 miles per gallon or slightly better when they do mostly highway driving. Considering the size, weight, and aerodynamics of a pickup, that's a pretty impressive figure.

I've read a few Ridgeline owner claims of mileage in the low 20s, and that's pretty good too. But the average seems to be no better than the Silverado, and that's disappointing on a smaller, lighter, weaker vehicle.

Yep. The 2004 Silverado extended cab 4x4 5.3l broke 20mpg average in mostly highway driving quite often, and the 07 Avalanche went even a bit higher, by about 1 mpg. So the Ridgeline can't really rest on fuel economy as a strength. Maybe other things about it's unique design, but definitely not on being fuelly frugal.

 

[Michael_S]

From everything that I was hearing (and, granted, my best information is a year old now), the truck (atleast the Hyundai version) was to be a "real" truck, so much so that they hired Big 3 people to design it. My impression was that it was not going to be a FWD-based truck but would actually be a RWD-based, full-frame truck.

The Kia Sorento is a body on frame, rear wheel drive SUV and the upcoming Kia Borrego is a body on frame, rear wheel drive SUV about as big as a Ford Explorer, with a 3.8 liter V6 or 4.6 liter V8. So I'm almost positive the planned Kia pickup was going to be a real midsize pickup.

 

[montrealvue]

in the words of Kia....."duh!". Demand for trucks is falling and will continue to fall. Its ridiculous to think there will be a growing market for trucks in the coming years. Smart move IMO.