Hyundai Wants To Take On The Tacoma

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Issue #167

The Toyota Tacoma again dominates midsize truck sales. Well, I'll correct that.

It doesn't dominate: there's simply no competition.

Until now?

We explain.

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In The Know

Is This The New Tacoma Contender?

The US loves the Tacoma. Estimates indicate that in 2025, Toyota will sell 275,000 of them, as Q3 sales reports have just come out, and the pace is shockingly fast.

As this article reports, Tacoma sales grew by 61.2% year over year.

What's even more surprising is that the Tacoma's Q3 sales are almost as much as the Chevrolet Colorado's entire 2025 sales. This is even more shocking when you learn that the Colorado ranks second in the US in midsize truck sales.

At Four Wheel Trends, we've never been shy about expressing our love for Toyota, and the Tacoma is no different. It truly is the complete package in the midsize truck segment.

This Gear Patrol article explains the keys to the Tacoma's success.

However, we did have a question. Does it sell so well because it's excellent or because there's no competition?

Now, one automaker wants to challenge this dominance.

There's only one tiny detail. The company that wants a piece of the pie has never manufactured a midsize truck.

We're talking about Hyundai, and it's confident it will dethrone the Tacoma.

It may sound ambitious and crazy at first, but the Korean company has a solid strategy: testing it somewhere else.

This Motortrend article explains how Hyundai's strategy stems from trial-and-error in other countries. Australia loves pickup trucks (or utes, how they call them), and two models dominate the country: the Toyota HiLux and the Ford Ranger.

By testing the Kia Tasman in Oceania and Asia (Kia being Hyundai's sister company), they can weed out inefficiencies that could put off American consumers.

Still, to succeed, Hyundai must have some secret sauce. What would it be?

This CarBuzz article bets on efficiency, but that might not be enough. After all, we don't really obsess over this aspect when buying midsize trucks. Another, even more critical point is price.

Hyundai could undercut competitors by offering a cheaper truck.

Hyundai has also insisted that it will "blow the minds" of potential buyers with its midsize truck. We love that ambition, but if there's one thing we've learned, it's that the Tacoma succeeds not because it's excellent or that there's no competition.

Check out the list of available midsize trucks in the US, and you'll see none come close.

Granted, the Ranger gets a high rating, but somehow, it fails to sell well. Why do you think that is? (Might it be the poor quality?)

The Toyota Tacoma finds an equation that fits both. It's an excellent vehicle in a segment where no other manufacturer has found the secret sauce.

Getting there isn't easy, and I don't know if Hyundai can do it.