Hyundai Santa Cruz Pickup Coming in 2020 (or 2021)
We already knew the Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept is headed production, but the Korean automaker recently let a little more info slip on the budget-minded pickup.
Speaking to The Detroit Bureau, Hyundai North America CEO Kyung Soo Lee revealed he and other high-ranking executives recently held a meeting to look at the design of the production Santa Cruz. The automaker is hoping to put the pickup truck on sale in North America by 2020 or 2021 and will market it toward young “urban adventurers” that might otherwise buy a crossover, he said.
The Santa Cruz Concept was a small, two-door pickup. It’s not clear if the production version will also be a two-door, or if it will be sold in both two- and four-door variants. The concept also featured a unique bed with extending bed sides, which would allow the user to carry a little extra cargo (or longer objects) with the tailgate down, but it’s hard to say if this feature will reach production. A four-cylinder engine and available all-wheel drive will almost certainly be present in the production truck, though.
SEE ALSO: 2019 Hyundai Elantra Gets a New Face, More Safety Features
As for pricing, it’s likely that Hyundai is looking to undercut its competition with a sub-$20k base price for the Santa Cruz. It may be smaller than the Chevrolet Colorado and Ford Ranger, which would allow Hyundai to sell it for much less. This won’t be a cheap, barebones work truck, however, with Hyundai expected to position it as a comfortable crossover that just so happens to have a pickup truck bed attached to it.
Either way, we don’t think such a product will have any trouble at all finding buyers in the US. Now we’re just left wondering if VW will ever pull the trigger on the Tanoak Concept.
[Source: The Detroit Bureau]
Discuss this article on our Hyundai Santa Cruz Forum
Sam McEachern holds a diploma in journalism from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, and has been covering the automotive industry for over 5 years. He conducts reviews and writes AutoGuide's news content. He's a die-hard motorsports fan with a passion for performance cars of all sorts.
More by Sam McEachern
Comments
Join the conversation
I'm not a truck person, but this looks good enough to change that. I hope it end product keeps most if not all of it's styling including the wheels. It's what I would describe as "tough style."
build it so we can ut 600 CI chevy bi turbo in it and make a rocket out of it:-)))