Hyundai Santa Cruz Pickup Could Go on Sale in 2018
Back in 2015, at that year’s annual Detroit Auto Show, Hyundai revealed to all of us their very first midsize pickup concept in the form of what would eventually be deemed the Santa Cruz. This immediately was met with tons of positive buzz from both automotive journalists as well as Hyundai fans as to when such a vehicle would be going into production. Well, we can all rejoice, as Dave Zuchowski, the President and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, recently told Motor Trend that the vehicle will officially go on sale in 2018.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a very interesting entry into the pickup truck segment, to say the least. Starting with the Tucson SUV platform, the South Korean automaker chose a unibody design in order to build a pickup truck that, while less rugged than its body-on-frame cousins, will feel just as comfortable on a paved road as it does on a dirt one. This makes the Santa Cruz feel far more like an SUV (which is not a negative thing), thus attracting the casual, everyday buyer who wants a vehicle that certainly has a rugged side, but that does not drive like such a thing. In short, Hyundai have opted to build a complete workhorse that does not intimidate the average driver, but that offers the abilities once reserved only for rugged pickup trucks.
Zuchowski noted that Hyundai has all the intention of showing the finalized production vehicle at either the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show or the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, which puts the vehicle’s official sales year at either 2018 or 2019 (most likely, it seems, 2018). Internal estimates over at Hyundai mark the automaker at selling anything from 50,000 to 70,000 pickup truck units a year, which is certainly good numbers to say the least.
With regard to the possible ins and outs of the Santa Cruz, Hyundai’s concept from back at 2015’s Detroit Auto Show was powered by a 2.0 liter diesel engine. However, any powertrain regarding the production model of the Santa Cruz pickup truck has yet to be confirmed by Hyundai. Nevertheless, this does nothing to cull fans’ excitement with rumors of what could be under the vehicle’s hood popping up all over the place. In any event, we will all just have to wait until more official information gets to us.
As is always the case, keep checking back in here with us at Rosen Hyundai for more information with regard to the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Too, while you are at it, why not stop by and sign up to test drive one of our many new lot vehicles? We can promise to do everything in our power to find the right vehicle for you!
