Five years ago at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Hyundai presented their concept crossover truck, the Santa Cruz. Soon after the web was buzzing with news that this truck will become a reality and would carry a totally new design language in line with the concept truck looks.
That design is still new and exciting to look at but Hyundai is now rumored to be ready to step into the growing truck segment with a truck that will carry the design language of the all new Santa Fe SUV or maybe the Tucson SUV. We think more the Santa Fe due to its size and proportions that will have it looking as large and intimidating as the Ranger and Triton.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck will be produced in Montgomery, Alabama where Hyundai is investing over USD410 million into expanding its Montgomery assembly plant to take on the manufacturing of this Santa Cruz pickup truck. This new production will also require an additional 200 plus person workforce at the plant and create a projected 1,000 more new automotive related jobs in the region.
At the launch of the Hyundai GV80 in South Korea, the head of research and development told Australian website www.CarSales.com.au that the 3.0-liter engine with 274 horsepower (278 PS) “will have so many applications.”
Hyundai’s Albert Biermann used to work at BMW at their ‘M’ division and so we can expect a very powerful and refined pickup truck from Hyundai.
The proposed new Hyundai pickup truck powerplant will meet the latest emissions standard (Euro 6 Step II), therefore this truck will also be offered in Europe and ASEAN nations. The possible engine range in the Santa Cruz will include the 2.5-liter T-GDi four-cylinder petrol and also the 3.5-liter T-GDi V6 twin-turbo for the North American buyers.
For the ASEAN buyers, this Santa Cruze pickup truck would probably be offered with two four-cylinder engines which is an entry-level 2.4-liter unit developing 185hp and 241Nm of torque. There could also be a turbocharged 2.0-liter with 235hp and 352Nm of torque.
Interestingly, the body-on-frame pickup truck production of rivals will not be the direction that Hyundai will take for the Santa Cruz. It will instead be a unibody which will not make it as tough as say the Triton, Ranger or Hilux and more like a SUV with carrying capacity at the rear.
Look at the current pickup truck user market. Most buyers are urban drivers only who have never taken their pickup truck on a muddy trail, let alone, off the smooth tarmac. So, it is likely that the Santa Cruz will be targeted at urban buyers and not for heavy duty mining, logging and farming users.
Hyundai Santa Cruz Rendering by Kleber Silva
