A fresh report out of Australia claims Hyundai’s upcoming double-cab bakkie will hit the market in 2023 as the most powerful midsize pick-up.
According to CarsGuide.com.au, the high-performance version of Hyundai’s as-yet-unnamed bakkie could even beat the long-rumoured Toyota GR Hilux to market.
The publication suggests the new ladder-frame bakkie – not to be confused with the unibody Santa Cruz model set to be built in the United States – will likely be available with six-cylinder turbodiesel power.
Previous reports out of South Korea claimed Hyundai had halted development of new oil-burning engines, leading CarsGuide.com.au to speculate an existing oil-burner – in this case the 3,0-litre straight-six unit already used by the Genesis GV80 – will be used in the bakkie.
For the record, this inline-six offers 205 kW and 588 N.m in the GV80, and is linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission and offered in rear- and all-wheel drive configuration. If such figures were to be carried over to the double-cab, that’d make it the most powerful midsize bakkie out there, eclipsing everything from the Hilux to the Ford Ranger Raptor and Volkswagen Amarok V6.
Albert Biermann, Hyundai Motor’s head of research and development, earlier confirmed to the publication the new powerplant could certainly be dropped into a commercial vehicle.
“With this engine we can have so many applications. As you know, we make commercial vehicles and so on, so this engine will be out there for quite some time. You don’t need to worry about that engine,” Biermann said at the time.
*Render above courtesy of Enoch Gonzales
