Photo: Hyundai
Presented in January 2015 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Santa Cruz concept is one sexy-looking pickup truck. The unibody workhorse has been approved for production last year in August, and according to the latest information on the newcomer, “final development work is now underway.”
According to The Detroit Bureau, the production model will launch “by late 2020 or 2021.” Speaking to Kyung Soo Lee, the automaker’s chief executive officer in America said that “we just had a meeting to look at the design.” With the Honda Ridgeline around and the Ford Focus-based pickup truck in the pipeline, how does the Santa Cruz position itself?
Similarly to the concept, the real deal targets “urban adventurers” who also happen to be “on a budget.” Hyundai is reportedly eyeing the Nissan Frontier as far as pricing is concerned, which means that the Santa Cruze could start in the neighborhood of $19,000.
Expected to borrow the platform of a crossover, the Santa Cruz could adopt one of two possible engine options in the United States. The first contender is the 1.6-liter turbo that produces 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet in the Elantra Sport. As for the second, the Theta III scheduled to debut next year as a replacement to the Theta II in the Sonata (185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet) sounds alright for this application.
“But didn’t the concept come with a 2.0-liter turbo diesel?” Rightly so, dear reader, but the U.S. customer would rather stick to gasoline than Satan’s Fuel. On the flip side, a diesel-powered Santa Cruz is just what the doctor ordered if Hyundai would sell the pickup truck in Europe as well.
On an ending note, how should we look at the Santa Cruz? Based on what we know about the unibody pickup truck until now, it’s best to imagine the newcomer to arrive in the form of a sport utility truck-bodied Tucson. As curious as this guesstimate might sound, think about how many people would take the Santa Cruz over the Tucson.
Similarly to the concept, the real deal targets “urban adventurers” who also happen to be “on a budget.” Hyundai is reportedly eyeing the Nissan Frontier as far as pricing is concerned, which means that the Santa Cruze could start in the neighborhood of $19,000.
Expected to borrow the platform of a crossover, the Santa Cruz could adopt one of two possible engine options in the United States. The first contender is the 1.6-liter turbo that produces 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet in the Elantra Sport. As for the second, the Theta III scheduled to debut next year as a replacement to the Theta II in the Sonata (185 horsepower and 178 pound-feet) sounds alright for this application.
“But didn’t the concept come with a 2.0-liter turbo diesel?” Rightly so, dear reader, but the U.S. customer would rather stick to gasoline than Satan’s Fuel. On the flip side, a diesel-powered Santa Cruz is just what the doctor ordered if Hyundai would sell the pickup truck in Europe as well.
On an ending note, how should we look at the Santa Cruz? Based on what we know about the unibody pickup truck until now, it’s best to imagine the newcomer to arrive in the form of a sport utility truck-bodied Tucson. As curious as this guesstimate might sound, think about how many people would take the Santa Cruz over the Tucson.
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