Hyundai arguably stole the show at last month's Fieldays event at Mystery Creek — not with a ute or a tractor or a harvester, but with the surprise local debut of their hydrogen-fuelled Nexo SUV.
“This just further compliments electric vehicles," said Hyundai NZ's Gavin Young at the event.
"We're not hedging our bets on which one's going to overtake which, because they each have their role to play for New Zealand.”
Watch: inside what makes the Hyundai Nexo's hydrogen motor tick
Hyundai NZ were predictably coy at the show regarding whether there were plans to offer the Nexo on the Kiwi market. General manager Andy Sinclair cited a lack of local infrastructure as a potential barrier, before noting that Hyundai are working with the New Zealand Hydrogen Association towards a solution.
Those following the Nexo with interest may have spotted a television commercial for the Nexo that's currently running on the country's biggest networks. The ad is one of two that Hyundai NZ have issued that focus on alternative fuels (the other talks about the Kona EV).
Naturally, Driven was keen to know whether the advert implied that the Nexo was set to join the local Hyundai line-up. So, we reached out to Hyundai NZ yesterday.
"The NEXO ad campaign is around educating people about this future technology and positioning us as the leader in this new technology," responded a Hyundai NZ spokesperson.
"Once a refuelling infrastructure is in place then we will be in a position to make NEXO available for purchase."
So, in short, despite the advert there has yet to be a change of status for the ambitious next-gen SUV. But nevertheless it's curious to observe which companies are leaning into the promotion of next-gen tech, and which companies aren't.
While EVs and hybrids are surrounded with plenty of buzz and interest, few of them feature in New Zealand's top-10 registration data (which continues to be led by utes like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux).