Hyundai is ready to change the image of a pickup as a multifunctional commercial vehicle into a luxury vehicle with a fierce look. The approach was done by introducing Hyundai Santa Cruz that looks luxurious and handsome even though the car is coming in the shape of a pickup truck.
The Santa Cruz pickup concept was first introduced in 2015 at the North American international auto show in Detroit. But since then, other leaks about cars have not surfaced yet.
Regarding the details, this pickup will not be packing unibody monocoque design. Instead, the truck will use a chassis lite truck to make it a tough car that supports the 4WD (four-wheel drive) feature.
On closer look, Hyundai Santa Cruz got that very fierce aura in the front fascia. Unlike other pickup trucks, this particular car is more similar to a double cabin car like those of Mitsubishi Triton or Toyota Hilux.
In the legs sector, this car is likely to carry the concept of big wheels. This is indicated by the circumference of the wheels on the body which is also wide, implying a serious dashing impression.
It seems that the production model will follow in the footsteps of the Honda Ridgeline as a lifestyle vehicle. As part of this effort, the truck will be based on a crossover platform and not new body-on-frame settings.
The approach will save development costs and give the impression of “more like a car” on the Hyundai Santa Cruz. Little information is known about this pickup truck but Hyundai claims that the Santa Cruz design will use a crossover platform, and not a traditional pickup.
The emergence of Hyundai Santa Cruz is one of Hyundai’s strategies to dominate the car domestic market in the US. For this reason, this new pickup truck base was taken from one of their SUVs, the Hyundai Tucson. That also causes the Hyundai Santa Cruz to have a four-door double-cabin and five-seat.
One of the most interesting things from the carmaker is that Hyundai is targeting Santa Cruz for consumers under 30 years old. To help attract buyers from this age group, Hyundai is rumored to be keeping the prices affordable.
