Interest in off-roading and overlanding has grown rapidly over the last decade, only accelerating during the COVID lockdowns. Hyundai has tried to tap into that market with products like the redesigned 2026 Palisade XRT Pro.
Now, it seems, the Korean carmaker is getting ready to take the next big step. It rolled out the wild Crater concept at the Los Angeles Motor Show last autumn and, for those who didn’t take it seriously, followed up with the Boulder SUV at the New York International Auto Show on Wednesday.
While it’s officially described as a “concept,” top Hyundai officials told me that a production version is well under development and will reach U.S. showrooms within a few years.
The production model will be based on an all-new body-on-frame platform — Hyundai’s first — that will underpin a broader “family” of light trucks, including a midsize pickup. With them, Hyundai expects to challenge the likes of Jeep’s Wrangler and Gladiator, Ford’s Bronco lineup, and the TRD models from Toyota.
Dropping a Boulder on the Competition
Going into this year’s New York Auto Show media preview, the spotlight was clearly on Hyundai, the automaker signaling it had something big to announce. And, in an unusual move, it declined to release the advance embargo material manufacturers normally provide journalists so they can have stories ready to go once the curtains are lifted. There was plenty of guesswork underway, “and we were surprised when nothing leaked out,” one happy senior PR official confided.
With the automaker’s President and CEO José Muñoz standing alongside, Boulder made its debut, and it was clear this wasn’t just another mainstream SUV with a bit of added cladding.
Though a bit less over the top than last year’s Crater Concept, Boulder has the look and the dimensions of a true off-roader, with a bold, upright grille, short overhangs, and 37-inch all-terrain tires. Though Hyundai declined to provide hard numbers, Boulder appeared to be roughly the width and length of a Ford Bronco Raptor.
It has a comparable ride height and competitive approach, breakover and departure angles, suggested Sang-Yup Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of the Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center, in an exclusive conversation.
Most importantly, he stressed, this is really more of a prototype than a concept vehicle. That means it is within the wiggle of a designer’s pen to what the production model will look like.
All-New Body-on-Frame Platform
Hyundai Motor Group has grown massively over the past decade. It’s now the world’s third-largest automotive manufacturer. In the U.S., the brand’s goal is “6 for 6 in 2026,” proclaimed the division’s U.S. chief executive Randy Park, meaning its sixth consecutive year of record sales.
But that, he stressed, will require it to get into new market segments. And the most obvious, added his boss, Muñoz, requires Hyundai to come up with its first-ever body-on-frame platform.
Expect to see a variety of light truck models based on that architecture, Muñoz promised, though he’d only confirm there will be a Boulder-sized SUV and a midsize pickup.
The exact timing remains a bit uncertain as Hyundai has to juggle some aggressive product plans. During the N.Y. news conference, Muñoz revealed that the group plans to launch 58 new or “significantly updated” products by 2030. That includes 38 for the Hyundai brand and 22 for its upscale sibling Genesis. That creates some significant challenges.
Big Plans
Hyundai recently announced plans to invest $26 billion into the U.S. market. That covers a lot of territory, including a new steel mill in Louisiana, as well as a plant where it expects to build tens of thousands of its humanoid Atlas robots each year.
Existing assembly line will be expanded and, Muñoz indicated, at least one more auto plant will be needed to grow its current U.S. capacity from 800,000 to 1.2 million vehicles annually. We’re not likely to see a Hyundai Boulder reach showrooms before then, which could mean late in the decade.
There are other issues that will determine timing, however. The Hyundai and Genesis brands aren’t the only ones planning to expand their product count. Kia has its own plan in place, and while a senior executive told me he wasn’t ready to reveal details, he stressed that Kia’s growth also “will depend on entering new segments of the market.”
Translation: It is locked in an internal battle with the Hyundai side of the Group to see who actually will be the first to roll out products based on the new body-on-frame platform. But, added another senior exec, Kia also wants to get into the rugged truck market — and soon.
Drivetrain Options
Whoever comes first, expect to see future SUVs, pickups, and other body-on-frame products offered with a variety of different powertrain options. That flexibility is “a cornerstone of our strategy,” said Muñoz.
The automaker has a variety of internal combustion engines it could draw from, whether inline-four, -six, or V-8. It’s also rapidly expanded its conventional and plug-in hybrid options, and is getting close to introducing its first range-extender package.
The new body-on-frame platform, Muñoz stressed, will be flexible enough not only to accommodate those alternatives but will also be able to handle a pure battery-electric drive system, were Hyundai to see that as a market opportunity.
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