For those who remember back to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit back in 2015, whether you visited or kept tabs on the action online, you may have seen that Hyundai arrived with a concept pickup truck. Named the ‘Santa Cruz’, it received huge amounts of attention and even won the Concept Truck of the Year award later in 2015 thanks to the North American Concept Vehicle Awards.
As well as the industry experts, the fans seemed to love the truck as did anyone with a remote interest in motor vehicles. Immediately, people seemed to realize the great work Hyundai were doing. However, there was a catch; the manufacturers were more than hesitant about launching the truck in the United States.
If you’ve been holding your breath for two years, now is the time to release because Michael J. O’Brien, the Vice President of Corporate and Product Planning for Hyundai in the US, has now given the truck the green light it needed to start production in the country. Within a released report, O’Brien didn't quite note whether it would be a replica of the Santa Cruz or not but he did note similarities between the two.
With this news in mind, you’re likely to be wondering when it will be available but this we don’t know just yet. This being said, we do know that the new Santa Fe SUV models are due within the next two years while the new Tuscon is expected in 2020 so we need to keep this schedule in mind.
In terms of design, experts believe it will follow the compact crossover architecture found on the Tuscon. If the two are closely linked and will be branded as the same range or name, perhaps we could expect the two in 2020 together but this is still speculation at this point.
Although the vehicle is still shrouded in uncertainty, what we do know is that Hyundai dealers across the US will be happy at this news. According to a recent 2017 sales update, their sales have dropped quite sharply by 11%. Considering the industry only averaged a drop of 3%, this is disproportionate and suggests other worries for the manufacturer.
Within the market recently, we have seen a definite move towards sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and crossovers which leaves Hyundai stranded with their focus on sedans. For this reason, they’ll be hoping this new model can turn their fortunes around in the coming years!
Tags: Hyundai, Breaking News