South Korean automobile manufacturing giant Hyundai has unveiled a rugged pickup, the Boulder Conceptwhich is a body-on-frame SUV at the 2026 New York International Auto Show.
This marks the brand's first step toward competing in the American midsize pickuptruck segment in which the in which the company has never been before.
The concept car isbuilton a new ladder frame architecture that Hyundai says willeventually underpin a production pickup,likely before2030. It is among one of the 36 vehicles the company has announcedfor North American by that date.
Jose Munoz, President and CEO of Hyundai Motor Company said,"The Boulder Concept demonstrates howHyundai is seeking to give American customers more of what they want."he further said "Body-on-frame vehicles are the backbone of American work and adventure, and we intend to compete in the midsize pickup segment with everything we have. The body-on-frame truck is one of 36 new Hyundai vehicles coming to North America by 2030. We are entering segments we have never competed in before, and we are doing it the right way: designed in America, built by Americans for American customers."
Boulder Design and Feature
The pickup truck is developed at Hyundai's Southern Californiastudio;the vehiclehas37-inch mud terraintyreswith a full-size spare on the tailgate. The double-hinged tailgateof Boulderopens fromeitherside;a drop-down rear window handles oversized loads, and a steel-webbed roof rack adds cargo capacity.
Boulder Interior and Cabin
In terms of interior, the cabin of the pickup truck features reinforced grab bars, physical controls, fold-out tray tables, and an optional real-time off-road guidance system. Other than this, the vehicle has an optional software-driven off road guidance system which provides real-time terrain coaching for drivers navigating difficult ground.
The Executive Vice President and Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Centre,SangYupLee said,"Our body-on-frame Boulder Concept SUV is a four-wheeled love letter to the dynamic, off-road way of life that many customers have been asking us for in our future-focused research," he further added that "We are confident that something like this ultra-capable Hyundai SUV concept could more than fulfil the needs of this exclusive group of adventure seekers."
The company has not officially clarifiedregardingthe production of the newly revealed Boulder. The pickupremainsa design study, though Hyundai has publicly tied it to a firm platform and timeline. However, some media reports suggest that the company will begin the production by 2030