Cruzin’ new territories
Hyundai’s Santa Cruz concept pick-up may signal the marque’s intent to dabbling in leisure bakkies in the future
AS ONE of the world’s biggest growing automotive makers, Hyundai unveiled the boldly styled Santa Cruz pick up concept at the Detroit Auto Show, which could signal the manufacturer’s plans to dabble in the leisure market bakkie segment.
Apart from the H100, which is in essence a workhorse, the marque has very little in the way of a bakkie offering, having concentrated more on the passenger segments, and convincingly so.
However, judging by the attention that the Santa Cruz drew at this year’s show, we could easily see a more leisure oriented pickup from the marque in the foreseeable future.
Boasting a bold design, the designers set out to create a design that conveys lifestyle, with a wide, sure-footed stance and an aggressive side-profile rake. The front view features an upright, hexagonal grille with cascading lines framing the sides, dual lens-free, honeycombed headlamp projectors, and prominent LED fog lamps. The side profile is particularly interesting with large wheels shod with Michelin tyres, centre locking hubs, and yellow Brembo brake calipers.
Power comes from a 2.0l turbo diesel engine with 140kW and 406Nm that is sent to all four wheels. The concept has sparked a great deal of interest and would be an ideal addition to the bakkieloving market that is SA.
While the model might seem to have a large footprint, it is primarily designed to be easily manoeuvrable in the city, particularly in tight parking spaces.
It is said to offer the driving characteristics of a crossover, but with a versatile cargo bed for storage or lifestyle items such as mountain bikes and the like. Items can be securely locked in the back under a solid tonneau cover that conveniently retracts when not needed. It not only keeps items safe and out of sight, it also keeps the interior clean.
It is purported to be the best combination for those who want to meld crossover driving dynamics and the practicality of a bakkie. Sometimes, there are those needs that call for even more cargo room, which is why the designers and engineers of the Santa Cruz concept have included an innovative tail-gate extension that allows the bed length to be expanded whenever those “just in case” moments arise.
When fully extended, the bed length is similar to a mid-size pickup, providing the ability to carry much more than its compact footprint would suggest, yet only when required to accommodate the owner’s lifestyle needs.
Some of the industry’s past attempts to blend truck-bed flexibility with passenger car attri- butes were limited because they did not deliver the practical benefits the customer expected. By design, the model is said to not be an alternative to a truck, so towing, payload and ground clearance were not primary goals in the design brief.
Rather, it is intended to attract crossover and sedan buyers who are seeking greater utility, without the compromises that traditional pick-ups often require.
The company’s research team revealed that not everyone who wants an open-bed vehicle is willing to accept the trade-offs that come with it.
This has led the company to design something to appease the younger, outdoorsy set who seek the practicality of bakkie, but also the stylish design afforded by a crossover vehicle.
Although this is a concept at the moment, it would be great to see the Korean marque giving this one the production nod.