It’s the automotive equivalent of Clark Kent turning into Superman – off go the nerdy glasses and tie and out comes the muscles bulging out of the skin-tight suit.
Hyundai, a brand famous for its sensible and often small cars like the Kona and i30, has recently revealed its toughest vehicle ever. It’s called the Boulder Concept, and it’s a major departure for the brand which will potentially pit it against some of the roughest, toughest SUVs and utes on the market today.
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Revealed at the New York Motor Show, the Boulder Concept is the first Hyundai built on what’s known as a ‘body-on-frame’ chassis, which is the type of underpinnings more common with a Toyota LandCruiser, Ford Everest or any popular ute.
This is a stronger base to build a vehicle on, which is why Hyundai used phrases like “unlimited potential for rugged off-road capability” and “do-it-all utility” to describe its goal for the Boulder.
“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,” explained SangYup Lee, Executive Vice President, Head of Hyundai and Genesis Global Design Center, Hyundai Motor Company.
“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.”
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While Hyundai is clearly hoping to tap into the big off-roader market in the USA with the Boulder, where it will take on Ford’s iconic Bronco, there is a very clear path for this new concept to have a big impact for Hyundai Australia.
The local operation has made no secret in recent years that it wants to enter the ultra-competitive ute market. Just like Superman fighting Lex Luthor, Hyundai wants to take on the biggest names in the business – the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
Hyundai Australia Chief Executive Officer Don Romano, who has close ties to Hyundai Global President and CEO José Muñoz, has made it his personal goal to lock in plans for a new ute for Australia during his three year tenure down under.
“ My work permit goes for another two and a half years. I’m not leaving until it’s coming,” Romano told Australian media in late 2025.
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Even though some industry experts believe we have reached ‘peak ute’, with too many models competing for a market that has stopped expanding dramatically, Romano is confident that Hyundai can produce a ute that will be “mind blowing” and based on the Boulder, it will likely look the part too.
“If they produce what we’re talking about at this stage and what we’re working on, it’s gonna be mind blowing, it’s gonna be great. And I really mean that, I’m not just blowing smoke,” Romano said.
“I just think when you come out with a ute, you know, you can’t come out with the same thing. You’ve got to look at the best vehicles in the market, the best utes in the market, who are the two biggest players.
We all know who they are and that’s who you have to position yourself with. But you have to bring in some new technology, because a lot of that technology they’re using has been there for a while.”
Expect to see the new Hyundai ute in showrooms by the end of the decade, with the Boulder previewing a potential off-road SUV that could join soon after.
