Hyundai Is Building a Real Pickup Truck
real
pickup truck—it's a
Tucson
with a bed. Now, though, Hyundai has confirmed production of a real, genuinely capable pickup. It just probably won't be for America.
Hyundai Australia CEO, Don Romano, confirmed to
Drive
that the company is working on a new mid-size ute—aka, a pickup truck. It will compete against body-on-frame alternatives in the region, like the Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger, and its cousin, the new Kia Tasman.
2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz
Photo by: Hyundai
"I'm confident a ute will be on the schedule," Romano said in the interview. "But I'm not certain on the time. The time will depend on the type of ute we develop. If we use a body-on-frame platform like the Tasman, that could be soon."
The details are still murky, by Romano's own admission, and it's unclear what would even power the pickup. He floats diesel, hybrid, and even fully electric options as possibilities. Given Australia's ever more stringent emissions regulations, sharing a platform with the Tasman seems unlikely. But, Hyundai could look to General Motors for help; the duo recently inked a deal for joint truck and van production.
"We would look at what is available from GM,' Romano told Drive. "My goal is to keep looking forward, and we have a strategic alliance with GM, but not just on utes. We want to have a number of options, and GM is part of that."
Hyundai hopes to have its new pickup in production in Australia within the next three years. As for the Santa Cruz, don't expect any major changes to the compact pickup for the US. The tiny truck just recently got a facelift.
69
More Truck Stuff
Is This Ram's Compact Truck for America?
America Is Falling Out of Love With Huge Trucks: Report
Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily.
back
Sign up
For more information, read our
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use
.
Share this Story
X
Got a tip for us? Email:
tips@motor1.com
Join the conversation
(
)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Arcadea, Through Its Entity Vellox Group, Acquires ADSoftware in Bold Move to Disrupt Aviation Software Landscape
CLUSES, France & TORONTO & ADELAIDE, Australia, August 13, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vellox Group, the global leader in unified aviation operations software, today announced the acquisition of ADSoftware ("ADS"), a French-based provider of CAMO and maintenance software trusted by high-criticality aviation operators around the world. This move expands Vellox's platform into the maintenance domain, creating an unprecedented one-stop solution for operations and airworthiness management. ADS joins Vellox's mission to deliver the industry's most comprehensive and integrated platform for aviation operators, offering unified workflows that eliminate silos between flight operations and maintenance. With ADS onboard, Vellox now covers the entire operational and maintenance lifecycle. Over 70 ADS customers will benefit from access to Vellox's global infrastructure, advanced product development resources, and 24/7 support. All ADS employees will remain in place and join Vellox, ensuring service continuity and accelerating innovation. ADS's flagship ERP, AIRPACK, will be rebranded under the Vellox umbrella as part of the unified platform strategy. "ADSoftware is a natural fit for Vellox's disruptor vision," said Aleksandra Banas, CEO of Vellox Group. "Together, we're reshaping how aviation operators run their businesses from the cockpit to the hangar—with a single, integrated platform." The acquisition strengthens Vellox's position in mission-critical aviation sectors such as EMS, defense, and industrial operations—segments that demand zero compromise on compliance, safety, and reliability. Integrating flight, crew, and maintenance data unlocks predictive analytics, smarter compliance tools, and improved operational uptime, setting new industry benchmarks. "Joining Vellox is a major milestone. We're excited to scale globally while staying true to our roots in innovation, product excellence, and long-term customer partnerships," said Inès Gur, Acting Managing Director of ADSoftware. The unified platform will give operators access to: Seamless workflows across planning, dispatch, safety, and maintenance A single, cohesive user experience Advanced decision support and analytics tools Elevated compliance and audit-readiness "ADS is the missing piece that makes our platform unrivaled," said Krister Genmark, SVP of Revenue at Vellox. "No one else offers a fully unified ecosystem for high-criticality aviation like we now do." "ADSoftware exceeds every benchmark we set for our investments—founder-led, product-first, and beloved by customers. We're thrilled to welcome ADS into the Vellox platform and to support its continued innovation on a global scale," said Paul Yancich, Managing Director at Arcadea Group. For more information on Vellox Group and its innovative aviation software, visit About ADSoftwareFounded in 1998 in France, ADSoftware provides modular ERP solutions for maintenance and airworthiness management. Its customers span airlines, military fleets, MRO providers, and helicopter operators. Known for reliability and regulatory depth, ADS's AIRPACK suite supports CAMO and MRO operations worldwide. About Vellox GroupVellox Group is the world's most unified aviation software platform, formed by combining Flight Vector, Spidertracks, Air Maestro, Complete Flight—and now ADSoftware. Serving emergency, defense, utility, and government operators, Vellox delivers data-rich, fully integrated tools for flight ops, dispatch, safety, crew, and maintenance. About Arcadea GroupArcadea Group is a permanent capital investor in founder-led vertical software businesses. With a long-term investment approach, Arcadea enables its companies—like Vellox—to pursue bold innovation and sustained market leadership in mission-critical sectors. View source version on Contacts For media inquiries, please contact: Krister Genmark – SVP, Revenue, Vellox Group (kgenmark@ Yancich – Managing Director, Arcadea Group (yancich@
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Beanless coffee maker Prefer strikes global production tie-ups
Prefer, a Singapore-based start-up making beanless coffee products and ingredients, has struck two new commercial partnerships, which will see it work with two food and drink companies to produce products in Thailand and Australia. The group said it marked the group's "first international commercial partnerships". The news was announced alongside the closure of a $4.2m fundraising round, led by At One Ventures and Chancery Hill Capital, with participation from existing investor Forge Ventures. In a statement, Prefer said it would be working with Japanese food and drink major Ajinomoto's Thailand arm to 'develop sustainable new innovations" in coffee drinks for the Thai market. Specific details of the future product being produced with Ajinomoto are confidential, according to video from Prefer shared on LinkedIn today (13 August). Prefer has also granted Australian FMCG company The Coffee Ferm a licence for its proprietary fermentation technology to allow it to manufacture and distribute Prefer coffee products locally. Prefer co-founder Jake Berber told Just Drinks that both these partnerships are long-term. He added that the starting times of both these tie-ups was dependent on "regulatory and manufacturing readiness" but that it was "pushing to get to market as soon as possible". Berber founded Prefer in 2022 alongside Ding Jie Tan. The group currently supplies its beanless coffee to FMCG companies in Singapore, including Melvados which has used Prefer's coffee ingredients in a beanless coffee ice cream product. Prefer also sells a beanless coffee iced latte RTD product throughout the region, according to its website. Alongside the news, the group also announced the launch of two new products: soluble coffee and cocoa powders. Prefer plans to sell these throughout the Asia-Pacific region and have already launched them for sampling purposes with food and beverage groups. "We are targeting large food and beverage companies to integrate our ingredients into their products," said Berber. Prefer's latest investment round brings its total amount raise to date to to $6.2m. In a statement, Prefer said it plans to 'scale its pilot production facility through toll manufacturers in key markets, deepen R&D on cocoa flavour development, and expand global partnerships with a continued focus in Asia'. Berber said the group would use the investment to scale its coffee production output to 500 tonnes a year through its third-party manufactures based in Asia–Pacific outside Singapore. Money will also go towards scaling cocoa production at its Singapore pilot facility before shifting to third-party manufacturers to carry out larger volumes. Berber also told Just Drinks that another funding round is expected within 18–24 months to support further expansion. The startup's alternative coffee and cocoa products are made from food manufacturing byproducts such as rice and soy, using a proprietary fermentation and roasting process. Prefer claims to offer affordable ingredients that 'replicate the taste and functionality' of coffee and cocoa, with a reduced carbon footprint. Prefer said its life cycle analysis shows its coffee has up to 85% lower emissions and is 50% more affordable than traditional Arabica coffee. "Beanless coffee maker Prefer strikes global production tie-ups" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Venice Energy to sell SA LNG terminal project to AG&P LNG
Australian energy infrastructure developer Venice Energy has entered into a sale agreement for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal project to AG&P LNG, an LNG terminals and downstream infrastructure company and subsidiary of US-based Nebula Energy. This deal follows eight months of complex negotiations, culminating in a binding term sheet signed in October last year. Venice Energy is spearheading the LNG terminal project in South Australia. AG&P LNG will take over 100% of the financing, construction and operation of the terminal, as per the agreement. The South Australian Government has already given the green light to the terminal and site enabling works were concluded earlier this year. A final investment decision for the project is anticipated later this year, with the regasification terminal set to enhance energy security for South Australia from 2028 and address potential gas supply deficits in the south-east of the country. Venice Energy chair Kym Winter-Dewhirst said: 'Firstly, the regasification terminal will provide energy security to South Australia from 2028 onwards and secondly help alleviate forecast shortfalls in the gas supply market along the south-east of Australia.' Over the past eight months, Venice Energy and AG&P LNG have collaborated closely to secure offtake customers via a mix of long-term and short-to-midterm gas sales agreements. The project, situated at Outer Harbor in Port Adelaide, will feature a floating storage and regasification unit with a minimum capacity of around 145,000m³, alongside the construction of two new wharfs, loading arms, cryogenic piping, pumps and related infrastructure. "Venice Energy to sell SA LNG terminal project to AG&P LNG" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
