NEW YORK — A dirty little secret that isn’t so secret is that most of the auto-show coverage you read, including much of what you read here, is based upon embargoed press materials that automakers provide to us keyboard warriors in advance. The element of surprise that once marked auto-show press days is mostly gone.
Mostly. The Hyundai Boulder Concept was a true surprise to assembled media.
When asked about its 2026 New York Auto Show plans, Hyundai politely told us that we’d just have to wait to NYIAS to see. Given the date, there were whispers that maybe the brand was trolling us with some sort of prank — those tend to happen on the first day of the year’s fourth month.
No, the Boulder Concept is real — we have pictures and everything.
The body-on-frame off-roader has a profile that reminds me of the current Ford Bronco, and that profile hints at future Hyundai designs. It is especially meant to preview a body-on-frame pickup truck that Hyundai wants to deliver around 2030.
Yeah, a Hyundai BOF pickup. And maybe a BOF off-roader, as well. For this market. I will take “sentences I never thought I’d type in my career” for $500, Alex.
Hyundai is emphasizing the use of steel in this concept. Some of the styling elements, such as the coach doors, may be too out there for production use, but the safari windows and roof rack seem like items that could make it into production.
So, too, might the 37-inch mud-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels. A GPS guidance system that Hyundai says will be available for off-road use would be a handy feature, and there are fold-out trays inside for lunch on the trail.
Do note the use of physical knobs and buttons — a shot across the bow at today’s haptic-touch heavy interiors.
Because the Boulder is a design study, there are no specs to report on. Just figure that the look will be sanitized for production with the end result being the as-yet-unnamed truck. I also wouldn’t be shocked — and this is just my speculation, I don’t have reporting backing it — if the Boulder does preview a Bronco/Jeep Wrangler competitor.
A lot can change between now and 2030. But it appears that Hyundai is truly on track to enter the BOF pickup-truck game.
[Images © 2026 Tim Healey/Hyundai]
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