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Hyundai gave us our first look at what its upcoming pickup truck would look like. That preview came from its Boulder concept, which was, notably, not a truck, but an SUV. During the reveal, executives said that it was meant to show styling cues, and also what could come after the truck. Now, a patent rendering has surfaced of the Boulder that suggests that Hyundai has green-lit the model, and it might already have production styling ready.
Some Parts Are Simpler, Others Look More Unique
Hyundai filed this design patent (502534-001) with the Indian patent and trademark office back in May, and it seems to have been approved this month. Only one image is shown when searching for the patent in the trademark database, and it's shown above. For the most part, it looks just like the concept. It has the blunt nose, bulging fenders, blocky shape, rear coach doors, and thick pillars of the concept, and those elements are all so close that at first glance you'd think it was basically identical.
Look at it for a while longer, and the detail changes start to stack up. Starting at the front, the headlights and grille are completely different. The large stacked lamps of the concept have given way to small rectangular units that blend into the grille, with solid vertical lamps on the ends. That grille is also new, trading pill-shaped slots for two wide slits and a big solid bar in the middle. It's almost possible to see a very wide and short "H" in the front end. Below the main part of the front end, the bumper is significantly changed, too, with the center section featuring a brick-like mesh pattern, and the corners of the bumper looking like simple plastic.
Around the sides we see one of the other major changes: the wheel arch design. The concept had perfectly round wheel arches, but this new design has switched to trapezoidal openings. The tops of the flares also have unusual slots. The windows are slightly different, too. The rearmost windows are smaller now, and they don't wrap around the rear pillar. The new design also lost the little safari windows over each door.
Whenever The Boulder Arrives, It Will Be After The Truck
Hyundai was clear that its pickup truck would be its first of its new body-on-frame vehicles to reach production and the US market. The truck is due to arrive before the end of the decade. If Hyundai is getting a production Boulder ready, as it seems to be, it should show up quite soon after the truck's launch.
Since the concept previews the truck, it would make sense for the production Boulder to share the truck's platform, and probably a good bit of the styling. Also shared will likely be the powertrain, which could be electric with a combustion range-extender. It will definitely have four-wheel-drive available, if not standard, and the concept hints at locking differentials that would probably be limited to high-end off-road versions. The same would apply to the heavy-duty suspension we saw on the concept.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Hyundai may have had two reasons for using the Boulder SUV concept as its preview of the upcoming pickup truck. First, it wouldn't give away the whole game regarding the truck's looks. Second, it may have been hoping to get some public reactions to the idea of an SUV. It may have needed to get some confirmation from people that they would be interested before they could go ahead with the product. With an updated design, we're betting it went well and is on the way.
This is yet another sign that automakers really do see body-on-frame SUVs as where the market is headed. Nissan has already laid out its plans for a new Xterra, Frontier, and Armada, all on a new body-on-frame platform. Plus, Mitsubishi is reviving the Pajero on the same platform, with a Montero version likely headed to America.
Source: Intellectual Property India / Hyundai via Motor Trend
