Hyundai enters light duty truck market, with vehicles going on sale in August
By Gary Worrall | July 1, 2010
The worst kept secret in Australian road transport is finally confirmed, with the release of Hyundai’s light duty range of trucks for the Australian market starting on August 2.
The Korean manufacturer is targeting the competitive light duty segment with three trucks covering the up to 7.5-tonne gross vehicle mass segment.
Opening the batting is the HD45 rated at 4495kg to appeal to drivers with only a car licence.
It is powered by a 3.9-litre four-cylinder engine offering 103 kilowatts and 372Nm of torque, driving through a six-speed manual gearbox.
Next in the order is the HD65, a 6.5-tonne GVM which shares the same 3.9-litre engine.
It is more powerful at 110 kilowatts and a healthy 579Nm at 1400rpm for plenty of pulling power down low.
The third member of the initial starting squad is the HD75, which gets the same 3.9-litre engine as the HD65 but with slightly different gearing for improved fully laden driving.
General Manager of Heavy Commercial Vehicles at Hyundai James Kang says the brand is aiming for a 10 percent share of the market, playing to the brand’s strengths of lower purchase price backed by a high quality service and parts network.
Despite Hyundai operating an extensive network of passenger car outlets, Kang says trucks will be sold through a dedicated commercial vehicle network, starting with just seven metropolitan dealers covering mainland Australia.
In a move that could raise plenty of industry eyebrows, as well as attract customers, Hyundai is backing its trucks with a 3-year/200,000 kilometre warranty, which allows operators more than 1000 kilometres per week for the duration of the warranty.
With the Manufacturer’s List Pricing (MLP) of the Hyundai light duty trucks starting at $49,990 for the HD45, which comes in under its Japanese competitors, the light duty truck market is about to become a lot more interesting.
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