Hyundai starts exporting commercial vehicles to U.S.

SEOUL, Korea (Dec. 29) — Hyundai Motor Co., Korea’s largest auto-maker, began exporting commercial vehicles to the U.S. yesterday under the Bering Truck nameplate.

Hyundai plans to introduce 70,000 trucks ranging from class 3 to class 8 over the next five years, including 6700 next year. Half of those trucks will be shipped after being completed at Hyundai¹s Chunju plant in Korea, which has capacity to build 96,000 commercial vehicles a year and is claimed to be the most modern in Asia. The rest will be assembled at a new plant in Front Royal, Va., established by Bering Truck Corp., a joint venture between Hyundai and a group of American investors.

The trucks combine components from both continents. Hyundai chassis and cabs will be integrated with complete North American powertrain options. Included will be two cabs, the smaller on class-3 through class-5 “midrange” low cabovers that essentially duplicate the lineup offered by Japanese importers, though powered by Detroit Diesel. A class-6 medium will have a larger cab and the Cummins ISB.

Bering intends to cover classes 7 through 8 with Cummins engines, tandem drives, and heavy steering axles that include tandem-tandem configurations with design weights to 94,800 pounds. Bering also plans to equip chassis with vocational bodies that include van, reefer, mixer, and dumps.

Bering Truck debuted in April at the American Truck Dealers convention in Nashville. The first public viewing of the trucks was in May at the International Trucking Show in Las Vegas.