Hyundai Santa Cruz Pickup Decision Coming in November
Hyundai North America is pushing hard to make the Santa Cruz pickup a reality and expects a decision on the project by November.
The Santa Cruz pickup debuted earlier this year at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show and according to the Korean automaker’s North American CEO Dave Zuchowski, “The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and that has been fed back to Korea.” The decision on whether the Santa Cruz pickup will get greenlit will come in November when Hyundai performs its next global product review. The CEO confirmed that basic engineering work is needed to convert the concept to a production vehicle and the company’s North American division is hoping to build it in the U.S.
SEE ALSO: Why Hyundai Will Build the Santa Cruz Pickup
Currently 20 percent of Hyundai’s lineup is truck and compared to all other mainstream automakers, only Volkswagen has a smaller percentage at 10. Hyundai North America believes that offering a pickup truck would boost sales significantly for the company.
[Source: Motor Trend]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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When my dealership dropped off my '13 Accent they said call us if you need anything else. I said "I'll call you when you start making pick up trucks." I don't need a big truck, so this would be perfect for the occasional small hauler need and in previous interviews they were talking over 50 mpg with a diesel. I'll wait and see what turns up, but if it does go into production I know I'll be interested.
Been hoping for a Hyundai truck, but not this one. Anything smaller than a Tacoma simply has no utility. It's a truck in name only. If I you can get by with a box that tiny, why not just get a Santa Fe? Regardless, I hope it has a turbo diesel. That's what people want in a Tacoma-sized and smaller pickup.