Hyundai's Cute Porter Truck Is Morphing Into An EV
If you thought a car like the ND-generation Mazda MX-5 was old, currently in its 11th year of production, you may be surprised to learn about the Hyundai Porter. This small truck has been around since 1977 and has been sold in its current fourth-generation guise since 2004, with few updates. The South Korean brand is finally preparing an all-new version and has been nabbed testing a heavily disguised prototype in Europe.
It's immediately apparent that the new Porter will look very different than the outgoing model, but the design isn't the most important development. More pivotal is that this fifth-generation model will be the first available as an EV, truly bringing the plucky truck into the modern age. It may also be sold in Europe for the first time.
Few technical details about the new Porter are known, but it may borrow some components from Kia's larger PV5, which is also available as a back-to-basics commercial truck. That model uses a modified version of the Hyundai Group's E-GMP platform, known as the E-GMP.S architecture, supporting a 400-volt system. Although our spy photographers snapped the Porter plugged into a charger, they didn't capture any photos of the charger's screen, which could have shown how quickly the truck can charge. Some text scribbled on a chassis rail indicates this prototype has four-wheel drive.
Could the new Porter go to Europe?
An electric powertrain opens up a world of possibilities for Hyundai. Hyundai is believed to be developing this new model to meet strict European crash-test and emissions requirements. Whether or not it eventually launches in Europe remains to be seen, or if it will remain exclusively available in countries including Chile, Peru, Brazil, South Korea, as well as other parts of Asia and Africa. A simpler, likely cheaper, gasoline-powered version will broaden the truck's appeal.
Back to the design, it's obvious Hyundai has set out to make this new Portal feel much more modern. It has a boxier shape than the outgoing model, sporting a flat windshield and upright side windows. Beneath the camouflage, square headlights and small air intakes appear. The nose is also slightly longer than the current model, apparently to improve crash safety. While the cab of the Porter pictured is small, the bed is quite long, likely because this is an extended-cab version.
Baldauf
Baldauf