Hyundai And GM Set To Develop Five New Vehicles

General Motors and Hyundai have announced plans to jointly develop five vehicles, many of which will be targeted for Central and South America.

The companies plan to develop a compact car, compact crossover, and compact pickup truck, along with a mid-size pickup led by General Motors. Hyundai will lead the remaining vehicles, all of which can use internal combustion or hybrid powertrains. The only model for North America will be an electric commercial van.

Rumours suggest that General Motors may consider a version of the Hyundai ST1 or Kia PV5 as a potential successor to the Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana.

If all goes according to plan, the companies could sell more than 800,000 jointly developed vehicles a year. The automakers added that while the vehicles will share much in common, each version will have a “unique interior and exterior in line with their respective brands.”

Design and development are already underway, and models built for Central and South America will be launched in 2028. The commercial van could arrive as early as 2028 and will be built in America.

In addition to the new models, the companies are planning “joint sourcing initiatives in North and South America for materials, transportation, and logistics.” They are also looking at other areas of cooperation, including raw materials, components, low-carbon steel, and “complex systems.”

Hyundai CEO Jose Muñoz said, “The strategic collaboration with General Motors (GM) will help us continue to provide value and choice to our customers across multiple vehicle segments and markets. Our combined size in North and South America helps us more efficiently provide our customers with more of what they want—beautifully designed, high-quality, safety-focused vehicles with the technology they value.”

General Motors Senior Vice President Shilpan Amin added, “By partnering together, General Motors and Hyundai will bring greater choice to our customers faster and at a lower cost. These first jointly developed vehicles demonstrate how General Motors and Hyundai will leverage our complementary strengths and combined size.”

Amin also said that the partnership makes a lot of sense because the companies can reduce costs, simplify production, and launch new vehicles faster by teaming up. Amin further stated that the collaboration will enable General Motors to expand its offerings.

• Also See: Hyundai Has Announced The Production Of A “Proper” Pickup Truck