New York Auto Show 2026: Hyundai Boulder Concept Previews Body-On-Frame SUV For The US

Hyundai has unveiled the Boulder Concept at the New York International Auto Show. The SUV design study previews the brand’s first fully boxed body-on-frame vehicle for the US market, with a production midsize pickup planned by 2030.

The Boulder Concept is aimed at the American body-on-frame segment, where buyers use vehicles for off-road use, towing and hauling. Hyundai said the future production models will be designed in America, developed for America and built in America using Hyundai U.S. steel. 

Hyundai said the Boulder Concept uses the brand’s Art of Steel design language and has an upright two-box shape. The concept gets coach-style doors, fixed upper windows, a roof rack, tow hooks, 37-inch mud-terrain tyres, a tailgate-mounted full-size spare, a double-hinged rear tailgate and a power drop-down rear window. 

Inside, Hyundai has used physical knobs and buttons, grab bars and fold-out tray tables. The concept also includes a real-time off-road guidance system meant to help the driver while off-road. 

José Muñoz, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor Company said, “Body-on-frame vehicles are the backbone of American work and adventure, and we intend to compete in the midsize pickup segment with everything we have. The body-on-frame truck is one of 36 new Hyundai vehicles coming to North America by 2030. We are entering segments we have never competed in before, and we are doing it the right way: designed in America, built by Americans for American customers.”

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The Boulder Concept is a body-on-frame SUV idea that is specific to the US market and is not meant for India. Hyundai has framed it as a step towards a future midsize pickup for American buyers, while India is set to get a separate off-roader soon, not this model.  

Hyundai said body-on-frame vehicles remain important in the US market because they serve work and adventure use cases. The company also said the Boulder Concept is part of its plan to enter a segment it has not competed in before in North America.