Disgruntled Consumer

[howam00]

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After the piss poor results from Mahindra on the EPA test and no other trucks really offering close to what I want for a price that is considered reasonable I decided to email Hyundai who, in my opinion, have the best company focus on vehicles of any US car manufacturer. (focused on dependable, inexpensive and highly efficient vehicles that are at least as capable as the competition)

Below is my email plea for them to actual start making a compact truck not just for the US but as a world market truck:

I have been patiently waiting on Mahindra's TR series of pickups to be introduced into the US market. After seeing the disappointing fuel economy numbers released by the EPA the other day I was very discouraged that I can't find a vehicle that suits my needs. I know that Hyundai has considered both full size and compact trucks in the US before and I think it is time to really consider doing this now.

The compact truck market in particular has been left to wither on the vine with the Ford Ranger not really updated in any serious capacity in nearly a decade and, according to Ford, wont be produced after the 2012 model.

Toyota has left the dated and bloated Tacoma on the market for way too long although I know the rumor is for a new 2012 model. GM's twins, Canyon/Colorado, are a poor excuse for compact trucks and the Nissan Frontier is just too big and heavy to be called a compact (Nissan has stated the 2012 model will be all new and reduced in overall size)

Hyundai has the capability to build the US market and the world market a capable compact truck that is cost conscious and fuel efficient. The truck should be capable of hauling around 1 US ton and tow around 5000#. You have the perfect motor for both power and efficiency in the new 2.0T used in the Sonata and Tucson (and hopefully Veloster and Elantra). It has sufficient power to be at the top of the class in terms of horsepower and has a low and broad torque curve that lends itself well to towing (ala Ford's new ecoboost motor in the F150) Such a vehicle would just about instantly be the top seller in a grossly underserved market and could provide a solid 100-125k in sales volumes in the US alone (likely more with the Ranger going away). If the payload was decent and a chassis cab offered and/or smaller van, many commercial applications could be considered as well increasing overall platform sales.

I have been searching for a vehicle like this for years, if you build it the customers will come! You have built a good reputation over the past 4-5
years and people now trust that your products are at least as good or better than your competitors.

they actually responded, with a form type of letter but maybe my/our best hope is for them to step up to the plate. They have shown the ability to "think outside the box" and bring cars to market that would be considered a "gutsy move" so a compact truck should be that much of a stretch for them.

[Brian]

Great job, and valid points. This is the type of request that needs to be voiced to get things moving. I'm in a waiting game as well to see what may come in the future, as there is not much choice now.

[MahindraPlanet]

Well written and well said! If Hyundai/Kia was to build a pickup along the lines of the VW Amarok, and offer their high level of quality and value, they could own a big piece of the compact pickup market in the US.

[Andy]

I'd be all over it I might have picked up kiatruckforum.com hyundaitruckforum.com already

If you guys recall, I was a Kia salesman for 1 month in 2010. I hated being a salesman, but I really liked the product.

[hsfbfan]

Do you think there is a reason why these trucks aren't being built? Maybe the market isn't big enough anymore to warrant the cost.

Do you really think Ford and Toyota would let their products get that long in the tooth if they thought there was a market for them to pay for the updates?

[howam00]

Originally Posted by Andy

I'd be all over it I might have picked up kiatruckforum.com hyundaitruckforum.com already

If you guys recall, I was a Kia salesman for 1 month in 2010. I hated being a salesman, but I really liked the product.

can you divulge any upcoming vehciles or other "secrets"

[Andy]

Originally Posted by howam00

can you divulge any upcoming vehciles or other "secrets"

Na, they said they'd kill me if I talked

[howam00]

Originally Posted by Andy

Na, they said they'd kill me if I talked

sure they did

[howam00]

Originally Posted by hsfbfan

Do you really think Ford and Toyota would let their products get that long in the tooth if they thought there was a market for them to pay for the updates?

In a word, yes. With no competition we have to buy those products as is so why fix what isn't broken. If someone came in and made a good, cheap, efficient and capable small truck they would sell and the existing companies would have to step up to the plate and quickly.

There have to be a half dozen markets for unique class sizes of vehicles that have less than 100k in total sales and the auto makers are clamoring over one another to try and make a better mouse trap (large cars like the Avalon/Azera/Taurus or sub compacts like the Fiesta, Rio, Accent, Aveo).

Why aren't they doing it in this market where the top two sellers are over 100,000 a year in sales and the margins higher than in other markets? They'd also benefit from lower CAFE numbers. I am just astonished that this market segment has sat for so long unchanged. This is strictly a US phenomenon.

[howam00]

check this out

Chicago 2011: 2011 Ram 1500 Tradesman is built to work — Autoblog

not too shabby, nice move Chryco until you can get some refreshed product out.