Report: Hyundai puts kibosh on Ram-based pickup, considers commercial market

"Hyundai Motor Co. denies that there are any current plans to bring a pickup truck of any type into the U.S. now or in the foreseeable future. Hyundai is not in discussion with Chrysler in regard to a selling a rebadged Chrysler Corp. pickup truck, or any other vehicle, in the U.S."

So, there you go. But, as is often the case, where there is smoke, there is fire. Late last week, news reports began filtering in that Hyundai was indeed in talks with Chrysler regarding the possibility of a fullsize pickup truck wearing the Korean automaker's badge built atop the Ram truck platform from the Pentastar. Those negotiations apparently did happen, according to the always reliable PickupTrucks.com, but stalled after the two companies couldn't agree on volume numbers.

Further, what prompted the whole series of truck-based discussions is Hyundai's reported desire to enter the commercial vehicle market later this decade. If true, this action would mirror a similar move by Nissan, which just unveiled its initial salvo into the large but mostly stagnant commercial vehicle marketplace.

Might Hyundai's commercial vehicle bear something in common with the Dodge H-100 Wagon that Chrysler markets in Mexico? Seems like a definite possibility, considering that the Ram-headed commercial vehicle is actually based on an overseas design from Hyundai. Stay tuned.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]