em>Hyundai says that the uber stylish Santa Cruz pickup concept showcased at the Detroit Motor Show is for the young adventurers offering versatility between urban and outdoor activities.
The on-going Detroit Motor Show definitely has some very interesting displays this year and while Ford and Acura may have taken away all the limelight with the GT and NSX supercars respectively, Hyundai has pulled in a very pleasing surprise by revealing the Santa Cruz crossover pickup truck concept. With America being the pickup truck loving market it is, the Hyundai Santa Cruz concept is targeted at urban adventurers and allows them to switch over from the weekday professionalism to weekend outdoor activities at their convenience.
Rooting for an urban appeal mixed with the traditional pickup design, the Hyundai Santa Cruz concept comes with a host of bold lines at the front featuring an upright hexagonal grille, muscular front hood, dual lens free projector headlights and LED fog lamps. The side profile gets accentuated wheel arches that house oversized Michelin tyres with yellow Brembo brake callipers, BMW i3-ish suicide doors and a sharp shoulder line that extends up to the i20-esque tail lights.
The Santa Cruz concept also gets cleats on the wheel arches, roof and bed rails for securing the cargo and are finished in yellow that stands out effectively against the satin silver finish. Furthermore, Hyundai has made provisions to expand the cargo bed for longer items using a unique drawer function with a tail gate extension system, which when fully extended is the same size as a mid-sized pickup. There is also a rigid tonneau cover which retracts when not needed, keeping the cargo hidden.
It is not all show with the Hyundai Santa Cruz and the concept actually comes with a viable powertrain under the hood featuring a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine producing 190 HP and 406 Nm of torque. Power is sent to all four wheels via Hyundai’s HTRAC All-wheel drive system, while fuel economy is measured at 12.8 km/l (US cycle). While the concept has been receiving positive reviews at the show, Hyundai has not announced its plans to put the Santa Cruz into production yet.
