Santa Cruz Concept: Hyundai Thinks You're Ready for a New-Age Kind of Pickup | Edmunds.com

Edmunds.com

Santa Cruz Concept: Hyundai Thinks You're Ready for a New-Age Kind of Pickup | Edmunds.com

Looking to address what it sees as unmet needs of younger urban buyers, Hyundai's Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept is a compact truck that doesn't try to mimic the capability of traditional pickups, just gives you a way to haul stuff you'd rather not have inside.

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kokomojoe

GM make a UTE like thisand has for years nothing new with this and in the 60-80's there was the Ranchero and El Camino

vrooomf1

Maybe it will push Subaru to revisit the concept and come up with something as sleek but with the 2l DI turbo engine and AWD.
I have to admit Hyundai is doing an awesome job on the concepts but production models kind of disappoint me so far.

darthbimmer

Hyundai's analysis strikes me as partly right. It's accurate that size and cost are barriers to young urbanites buying pickups. But it's also that urban dwellers don't need them. They're not hauling 4 x 50 lb bags of mulch to fix up their back yards. And when they do need to haul stuff, the open bed is insecure. Plus, the ethos of millennials is that if they need a special vehicle once or twice a year, they will rent it, not buy it.

notsooldguy

Toyota's idea was a Hybrid driving system in a similarly designed 4 wheel drive truck but they permanently shelved the design in favor of more hybrid cars. to bad for us who think someone needs to tap into the truck market.

ron305

The wife & I visited DisneyWorld last year and came up with an almost identical concept at Epcot's 'Test Track,' except it was 4WD. Be nice to see one of these with a small diesel.

jeffinoh

So would this be a CUT? I like the more car-like quality of it. American trucks are too huge, too high off the ground. Even the new Colorado. Why are they so high off the ground? Look how CUVs have taken off. Maybe CUTs could be available in smaller and smaller sizes. That'd be cool.

andre1969

I'm surprised they're trying to pass that thing off as a 5-seater! Unless it's a LOT bigger than it looks, my guess is you could get two people up front and one sideways in the back, and that's it. And, I agree with Darthbimmer...it sort of seems like an answer to a question nobody asked. Most urban dwellers simply won't need something like this. If they get anything at all, I'd imagine it would be a small 4-seat car, or a cute-ute that could at least hold four people and their luggage. But then, if you're out in the suburbs or a more rural area, tight spaces are less of a concern, so most people would probably just go and get a real truck.

As for that $40K price quoted for large pickups, one reason for that is people like to buy them loaded to the gills. Plus, that's going to include not only traditional half-ton trucks, but 3/4 ton, 1-ton, and maybe even heavier configurations. If you don't go hog-wild on options, you could easily get a half-ton full-sized truck for less than what this Hyundai would most likely end up MSPR'ing for. Plus, I don't think too many people would cross-shop this Hyundai with a standard-sized pickup. My guess is it would go more against the likes of the Colorado, Frontier, and Tacoma...although in many cases, even they aren't much cheaper than full-sized half-ton trucks. As for that statistic about the 30 and under crowd accounting for 7% of full sized trucks, I'm surprised it's even that high. The young'uns are struggling with student loan debt, starting families, finding good jobs, etc. I doubt too many of them are in the market for a standard sized truck. They'll probably pass up this Hyundai too, unless it comes in at a really good price.

jrsactown

Love this idea, our family owns 3 Hyundai's, one is a Santa Fe GLS 3 row. Need more small and mid-size trucks to pick from. I currently own a 09 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, great size and I really like it, problem is, ford has DC the sport trac and the ranger, so that's leaves the outdated Tacoma, and frontier. The brand new Colorado, looks cool, and i am looking at.
Still think someone needs to come out with a ranger sized pick up also

smalltown

This is actually closer to what I'd like. I need a truck for garden supplies (including buckets of horse manure), very occasional lumber, horse stuff, bookshelves or table from auctions, bicycles, etc. I have no intention of towing or carrying something really heavy. But I want an open bed. I bought a Tacoma regular cab four years ago because there wasn't any real choice. I don't want a full-size truck. What would have been ideal if Chevy decides to import it would be the Montana they sell in Mexico, designed in Brazil. FWD with a deep small bed--a Suburban Utility Vehicle.