The Korean automaker, which has improved its position on the American car and crossover markets by introducing new products, recently held focus groups with truck buyers in California and Texas using a Ram 1500 customized with a Hyundai-style grille and interior tweaks.
The response from the focus groups was positive enough to keep the project moving forward, according to PickupTrucks.com sources. Hyundai Motors Company of Korea, like other foreign auto manufacturers operating in the U.S., manages its operations through an American subsidiary, called Hyundai Motors America.
However, a spokesperson for HMA told PickupTrucks.com said that adding a pickup truck to its line-up isn't currently on the company's radar. "We never say never about future products we might add, but pickup trucks are not a high priority for us," the spokesman said.
The website’s sources say that it's the parent company, not its American subsidiary, that's running the research and that they may be doing it without HMA's knowledge. This isn’t the first time that Hyundai has considered building a truck for the U.S. In 2008, Dr. Kim Dong-Jin, Vice Chairman and CEO of Hyundai, said that Hyundai canceled plans to build a midsize pickup for sibling Kia Motors at a factory in Georgia because of softening demand for trucks and rising gas prices.
Using a Ram 1500 in its research clinic isn't necessarily a sign that Hyundai and Chrysler might partner to produce Ram-based Hyundai pickup trucks. Manufacturers considering entering new segments can test early ideas using modified versions of existing products.
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