Photo: Kleber Silva on Behance
Revealed as a concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show, the Santa Cruz is one of the most anticipated launches of 2021. Scheduled to arrive at U.S. dealers as a 2022 model, the compact pickup will be made at the same factory where the Santa Fe is built.
As such, the speculative rendering before your eyes makes a lot of sense when you think about it. Coming courtesy of Kleber Silva, the unibody truck also stands out from a stylistic standpoint. Lest we forget, the only rivals the Santa Cruz will have are the Honda Ridgeline and Ford Maverick.
No less than $410 million will be poured into Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama as part of an expansion project that will add 1,200 direct and indirect jobs to the production facility. That bundle of cash will go into additional space in the stamping, welding, and parts processing areas, and this has led many to believe that the Santa Cruz will ride on an evolution of the Santa Fe’s chassis. You know what that means, right?
It’s natural to assume that Hyundai will borrow at least one engine and transmission from the mid-size crossover, which has received a 2.5-liter powerplant and an eight-speed automatic for the 2021 model year. The base drivetrain is joined by a 2.5-liter turbo and a DCT, but the dual-clutch transmission doesn’t make sense in this application.
Hyundai is also gearing up for hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, which aren’t suitable for the unibody pickup either. As such, my two cents go on the torque-converter automatic and the base engine with 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet (245 Nm) of torque at the crankshaft.
According to Hyundai, the Santa Cruz is aimed at “those who want all the traditional attributes of a compact utility vehicle, but need the day-to-day versatility of an open bed. It’s the crossover that creates a whole new segment that successfully combines capability and utility to meet the unspoken needs of a new generation of buyers, especially millennials.”
No less than $410 million will be poured into Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama as part of an expansion project that will add 1,200 direct and indirect jobs to the production facility. That bundle of cash will go into additional space in the stamping, welding, and parts processing areas, and this has led many to believe that the Santa Cruz will ride on an evolution of the Santa Fe’s chassis. You know what that means, right?
It’s natural to assume that Hyundai will borrow at least one engine and transmission from the mid-size crossover, which has received a 2.5-liter powerplant and an eight-speed automatic for the 2021 model year. The base drivetrain is joined by a 2.5-liter turbo and a DCT, but the dual-clutch transmission doesn’t make sense in this application.
Hyundai is also gearing up for hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, which aren’t suitable for the unibody pickup either. As such, my two cents go on the torque-converter automatic and the base engine with 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet (245 Nm) of torque at the crankshaft.
According to Hyundai, the Santa Cruz is aimed at “those who want all the traditional attributes of a compact utility vehicle, but need the day-to-day versatility of an open bed. It’s the crossover that creates a whole new segment that successfully combines capability and utility to meet the unspoken needs of a new generation of buyers, especially millennials.”
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