Photo: GV80 Club via autospy.net
The Honda Ridgeline is the best example we have nowadays of a unibody pickup truck. The towing and payload capacities are similar to the Passport crossover, and both nameplates can be optioned with all-wheel drive. Hyundai wants a piece of the action as well with the Santa Cruz, which looks extremely close to production underneath the black camouflage covers.
Presented as a concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, the compact workhorse is actually a “crossover truck” if you take Hyundai’s marketing for granted. Aimed at “urban adventurers” who would like more utility than the Tucson offers, the Santa Cruz sports a similar front fascia to the Santa Fe according to autospy.net forum member Killer1984.
Taken from the GV80 Club forums, the picture further reveals five lugs per wheel. This seemingly unimportant detail confirms the unibody layout of the Santa Cruz, but it remains to be seen if Hyundai started off with the chassis of the next-gen Tucson or the Santa Fe of today.
A clamshell-style hood, turn lights in the side mirrors, roof rails, and gloss-black B- and C-pillars are also featured. The tires appear to be three-season Hankooks, and we wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case given that Hankook supplies Hyundai since eons ago. The two other world-class tire manufactures from South Korea come in the guise of Kumho and Nexen.
Previewed by the Vision T plug-in hybrid concept from the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, the future Tucson should also borrow a few powertrain options to the Santa Cruz. The naturally aspirated Theta III with 2.5 liters of displacement could be the entry-level choice in America, but Hyundai is also developing a Turbo GDi version with 2.3 liters of displacement. Also worthy of highlighting, European customers are likely to get a mild-hybrid turbo diesel.
It's not known if Hyundai is committed to offering the Santa Cruz on the Old Continent, but there’s an official confirmation in regards to U.S. availability. Last month, the automaker announced that $410 million would be poured into the Alabama plant in Montgomery for an expansion that will create 1,200 direct and indirect jobs. Production is planned to start in 2021.
Taken from the GV80 Club forums, the picture further reveals five lugs per wheel. This seemingly unimportant detail confirms the unibody layout of the Santa Cruz, but it remains to be seen if Hyundai started off with the chassis of the next-gen Tucson or the Santa Fe of today.
A clamshell-style hood, turn lights in the side mirrors, roof rails, and gloss-black B- and C-pillars are also featured. The tires appear to be three-season Hankooks, and we wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case given that Hankook supplies Hyundai since eons ago. The two other world-class tire manufactures from South Korea come in the guise of Kumho and Nexen.
Previewed by the Vision T plug-in hybrid concept from the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, the future Tucson should also borrow a few powertrain options to the Santa Cruz. The naturally aspirated Theta III with 2.5 liters of displacement could be the entry-level choice in America, but Hyundai is also developing a Turbo GDi version with 2.3 liters of displacement. Also worthy of highlighting, European customers are likely to get a mild-hybrid turbo diesel.
It's not known if Hyundai is committed to offering the Santa Cruz on the Old Continent, but there’s an official confirmation in regards to U.S. availability. Last month, the automaker announced that $410 million would be poured into the Alabama plant in Montgomery for an expansion that will create 1,200 direct and indirect jobs. Production is planned to start in 2021.
Google News