As the 2016 Honda Ridgeline makes its debut at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, another unibody pick-up truck is set to take shape – Australian motoring portal CarAdvice reports that the Hyundai Santa Cruz pick-up is still very much coming to production.
Hyundai Motor America president and CEO Dave Zuchowski told the publication that while the Tucson-based truck has yet to be officially green-lighted, it is very confident of the higher-ups at Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) in Korea will give the go-ahead, and that it’s more of a question of “when” than “if.”
“We’re waiting more for an announcement than we are for an approval,” he said. “So HMC is going to dictate [when that happens]. We feel really good about it. It hasn’t been officially announced yet. Our timing is not crossing our fingers and waiting for approval, it’s trying to figure out when we’re going to announce it.”
The bigger question is whether the Santa Cruz will be a global model, or if it will just be a United States-only model. Zuchowski, however, hinted that while the truck will have more potential in countries already with a sizeable lifestyle pick-up market, it may try out new areas, too. “I’m not clear on the other markets, but from our perspective it’s a vehicle that will be exported to other markets,” he said.
Hyundai Australia public relations GM Bill Thomas tempered expectations by saying that there are still lots of questions to be answered about the Santa Cruz and its sales potential in the Australian market. “If it’s a production vehicle, it’s about where it’s produced and whether or not it can be made in right-hand drive,” he said. “That’s an economic decision based on numbers,” he said.
The Tucson platform would enable the pick-up to potentially be built in various Hyundai plants worldwide – including Korea, Czech Republic and North and South America, among others – although as they are said to be at capacity, the location of where the Santa Cruz will be built will be key to its availability in markets outside the US.
In Australia at least, Thomas claims that the production Santa Cruz would perhaps not be marketed as a typical truck with high load and towing capacities such as the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Nissan NP300 Navara, but instead fill a void in the market left by the outgoing car-based Holden Ute and Ford Falcon Ute.
“We’d still look at it,” he said. “As an urban runabout and as a practical lifestyle utility it works well. To rule it out for Australia would be wrong.”
GALLERY: Hyundai Santa Cruz Crossover Truck concept
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Lately so many new cars from Hyundai. All the UMW salesman now panic. People like Same Lorrr and Sam Loo also hilang. All scared.
Now Malaysians know how UMW has been cheating Malaysians the past 30 years with cars that have no VSC, low airbags numbers and many safety features omitted.
Now Malaysians know how people like Same Lorrr and Sam Loo come here and lie about RV
Now Malaysians know, the worst RV is actually Toyota cars.
Poor Toyota salesman. Cannot sell their Moving Coffin
You put too much emphasis on RV in your comments.
BTW:
1. Chassis stiffness
2. Offroading capabilities
3. Drive train
4. Braking power.
Bring this model in. Great market in Sri Lanka for kimchi pickups there for a 12 month old used model
loser in life. Now no sales, cry at home whole day
Trucks shouldnt be this beautiful.