Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept

[AVANTI R5]

Hyundai has dropped a big surprise at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, unveiling the Santa Cruz compact pickup truck concept.

Powering this concept is 2.0-liter turbo diesel powertrain delivering 190 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque to all four wheels. Hyundai says the truck should net 30 mpg on the highway, while Michelin tires along with center-locking hubs and yellow Brembo bake calipers are also present.
Hyundai says that the concept has a similar footprint to a small CUV and for access to the back seats, the concept features rear hinged back doors.

2015 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

Out back, the Santa Cruz Concept features a bed extender that allows the entire bed to be stretched out, giving the truck roughly the same size bed as a midsize pickup when pulled out. To protect your cargo, the concept features a rigid tonneau cover that retracts. Tie down cleats are included in the wheel arches, on the roof and on the bed rails.
Hyundai says it designed this concept to go after the CUV and sedan customer so towing and payload were not priorities during design.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2...t-pickup-.html

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[Chin]

"Hyundai says it designed this concept to go after the CUV and sedan customer so towing and payload were not priorities during design."

Errr, umm, really?

Picture someone looking at CUVs/Sedans..."So, I have to put my 'cargo' outside?!" What does this have a CUV (or Sedan) doesn't?

[Kalins1]

The full press release talks about a retractable hard tonneau that turns the bed into a lockable trunk, so this concept would have more utility than a CUV or a sedan.

[Z/WRX]

This is right up my alley. Given that there are no small trucks made anymore and sedan/SUV's have a limit on size/height of boxes/other items, something with an open bed is ideal. I don't need to tow anything and I have no need to haul heavy items. But if I want to buy a 70 inch TV I don't want to have to worry about delivery time or renting something. Having this in the garage would work.

[hi5.0]

If this Hyundai concept prompts other auto manufacturers to consider offering a compact pickup for the US market, more power to them. Looks better than a Ridgeline? +1 right there.

[SCRAPPYDO]

Is anybody else seeing a market shift to smaller pickups.... Lots of pings on the mid to small size pickup radar lately.

[gravitylover]

That's what I want. No towing needs and also don't need monster load capacities just typical suburban dad type stuff. As long as the bed extender makes it long enough to grab a few sheets of plywood or they can be strapped to a roof rack I'm good. I really just need to move four mt bikes and gear for four people or the occasional new tv or large yard tool. I prefer the price of the Ram 700 though.

[Chin]

Originally Posted by Kalins1

The full press release talks about a retractable hard tonneau that turns the bed into a lockable trunk, so this concept would have more utility than a CUV or a sedan.

Ok, that likely has some value to it... However, I still don't see the selling point. The bed is so small that I doubt it carries much, if any, more than a CUV. Maybe I am just too old to understand.

[Chin]

Originally Posted by Z/WRX

This is right up my alley. Given that there are no small trucks made anymore and sedan/SUV's have a limit on size/height of boxes/other items, something with an open bed is ideal. I don't need to tow anything and I have no need to haul heavy items. But if I want to buy a 70 inch TV I don't want to have to worry about delivery time or renting something. Having this in the garage would work.

....but would you base your purchase on the 1-2x this is needed?

[SCRAPPYDO]

It comes down to what checks the most boxes for each person. You have so many features of so many cars, that you have to pick the one that fits your needs. No one vehicle can do all things.

Price
Towing
Interior room
Power
Handling
Interior Features
Efficiency
Seating
Trunk space
Comfort
payload
...

and the list goes on and on. Depending on your lifestyle many vehicles can do the same thing. There are somethings a truck can do an SUV cant. Likewise and SUV can do some things better than a truck.

A 4 door truck definitely has its vices (handling, parking GRRR parking, efficiency) But it pretty well does every damn thing else very well. Take away one or more catagories and you go from a truck to a minivan. Many variables, with many weights placed on each variable.

people buy what they think they need. Do not try to understand it or persuade it.

[a2cpc]

Something, something, Baja, something...

[Kalins1]

Originally Posted by Chin

....but would you base your purchase on the 1-2x this is needed?

It also has a built-in box extender in the bed so that you can make it long enough to fit a motorcycle. This is interesting because I was trying to design a box extender for our Baja before I traded it. I also was trying to design some sort of retractable tonneau as well, but that was well beyond my ability to fabricate.

[ever12]

The Pontiac G8 ST that never got a chance to be. Give it a decent engine, awd, and a manual tranny and I'll buy one.

[godfather2112]

Why would they offer it with awd and why would you want it with awd?

[Snowphun]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

Why would they offer it with awd and why would you want it with awd?

AWD all the things!


I don't get it either, but then people want AWD Miatas too.

[Chin]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

Why would they offer it with awd and why would you want it with awd?

A 'truck' without AWD in Minnesota? Not on my watch. ...but, if it can't tow there is no need for it in the winter.

[a2cpc]

Originally Posted by Snowphun

I don't get it either, but then people want AWD Miatas too.

Thinking, thinking, thinking...nope, that would be silly!

[ever12]

Originally Posted by godfather2112

Why would they offer it with awd and why would you want it with awd?

They mentioned that'll be available in both FWD and AWD but I'm hoping they don't pull a Nissan, Mazda, etc. and just offer the AWD with CVT or something. I refuse to deal with NY winters without it.

[AVANTI R5]

Report – Hyundai gives production ok to Santa Cruz pickup

Report – Hyundai gives production ok to Santa Cruz pickup image
Presented quite a long time ago – at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show – the Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck has seemingly received approval for production, with a focus on the American market.

While the Mercedes-Benz X-Class isn’t going to make the jump across the pond to North America, it seems US buyers still have a stylish pickup to choose on the horizon. Arguably it comes from a way less impressive brand – Hyundai – but with the right styling for the series production model no one will really care. Michael J. O’Brien, the company’s U.S. vice president of corporate and product planning, refrained from advancing any production timeline for the new model, but did give away some details about other models in the range.

For example, the Santa Fe Sport is set for retirement to give way to a new generation sometime in 2018, while the seven-seat Santa Fe will follow early 2019. Next up would be the compact Tucson SUV, which should arrive in new clothes at the turn of the decade. The rumor mill, meanwhile mentions a timeline for the Santa Cruz midsize pickup – late 2018 as a 2019 model year. The pickup is apparently using the Tucson platform, with standard front wheel drive and optional AWD.

Via Automotive News

[SCRAPPYDO]

They are going to sell a jillion of these...

[dwf137]

based on the tuscon... so a slightly smaller ridgeline...

will sell well in urban environments where parking space is at a premium.

[Dex]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

They are going to sell a jillion of these...

Yep. The loss of the compact pickup left a void that hasn't been filled.

[AVANTI R5]

Hyundai Santa Cruz Set for Launch

Hyundai is aiming the production version of the Santa Cruz at youthful "Urban Adventurers."

Hyundai is locking down the final engineering and design details for its first-ever pickup truck and will launch it by late 2020 or 2021

Originally unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in January 2015, the Santa Cruz was originally seen as just as a styling exercise, but the response the concept received was solid enough to convince the Korean carmaker that it should consider taking it into production. Until now, however, Hyundai officials have been coy about whether that actually would happen and, if so, when.

“We just had a meeting to look at the design,” Kyung Soo “Ken” Lee, Hyundai Motor America’s CEO told TheDetroitBureau.com during a brief conversation about the truck on Tuesday evening. The plan is to “launch it in the U.S. market in 2020” or sometime soon afterwards, he said.

The truck will, like the concept, target “Urban Adventurers,” young buyers on a budget who nonetheless want distinctive styling and the ability to carry plenty of “stuff,” whatever their lifestyle.

The rear of the Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept featured an integrated, extending cargo bed.

Lee was intentionally vague about details, for one thing, declining to confirm whether the production version of the Hyundai Santa Cruz will feature the same, unique bed extender that was a key part of the show car’s appeal. The unusual system worked something like a drawer, allowing the bed to slide back to add some extra length for large cargo. The tailgate could be operated normally, whether the bed was in its standard or extended position.

During the Detroit Auto Show preview, Hyundai officials indicated that with the bed extended and the tailgate down it would offer enough space to carry a standard motorcycle.

Expect the Santa Cruz to also feature many of the concept’s functional accessories, such as tie-down cleats and movable rails.

That said, the automaker appears to be downplaying the idea that they will be bringing to market another work truck. The production version of the Santa Cruz appears more likely to be positioned as an alternative to today’s crossover-utility vehicles, or CUVs, with the added benefit of a bed for carrying the occasional large load.

The Santa Cruz concept featured rear-hinged doors for backseat passengers.
Like the Honda Ridgeline, the Hyundai pickup will use a crossover platform, rather than the classic body-on-frame approach. But, if Santa Cruz stays at all true to the original concept, it will be smaller than the current crop of midsize pickups, more in line with the compact trucks that were wildly popular in the 1970s and ‘80s.

Due to today’s safety standards, don’t expect seating in the bed, but there will be seating for five in the cabin. The Santa Cruz concept featured rear-hinged back doors that could only be opened along with the front doors. Hyundai officials won’t confirm what approach they will take with the production model.

In concept trim, the truck featured a 2.0-liter turbodiesel making 190 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. Don’t expect that powertrain to make it into production, at least not in the U.S. Alternatives could see Hyundai tap one or more of the engines now being used in the compact Elantra sedan line, possibly the 1.6-liter turbo that churns out 201 hp and can make up to 195 lb-ft of torque. The bigger Sonata’s 2.4-liter naturally aspirated inline-four is another option, the sedan package making 185 hp and 178 lb-ft.


The Santa Cruz concept featured a torquey diesel not likely to go into the production model.

As for styling, the concept truck featured bulging wheel arches and aggressive character lines, as well as flying buttresses that were somewhat reminiscent of the first-generation Honda Ridgeline. Honda opted for a much more conventional truck design when it relaunched the Ridgeline after a brief hiatus. Hyundai insiders hint they will retain a more aggressive design more in line with today’s crossovers than a traditional pickup.

Like the compact pickups of the past, Hyundai hints it will target a youthful audience, primarily those under 30 who make up a relatively small share of today’s truck buyers. Those trucks appealed to youthful buyers on tight budgets and few would be surprised to see Hyundai position the Santa Cruz as the lowest price of entry for any pickup in the U.S. market. Currently, that title goes to the aging Nissan Frontier, which starts at just over $18,000.

[ptclaus98]

Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO

Is anybody else seeing a market shift to smaller pickups.... Lots of pings on the mid to small size pickup radar lately.

I know this is 3 years old, but...

"Small?" Really? I bet this thing weighs well into the 3000 pound range.

[SCRAPPYDO]

Dude, it is a pick up... everything weighs 3000 lbs now. Do you really want a truck that weights less than a 2.5RS? I sure as hell dont. Stop thinking like its 1980. People want 20 airbags and collision avoidance, and tech features.... all that crap adds weight. We are getting the cars we asked for.

Besides, who cares how much it weights, this is not a sports car.