Hyundai revealed its innovative Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January. This fresh concept reflects a completely new interpretation of truck utility for a new generation of buyers, especially Millennials.
“The Santa Cruz crossover truck concept meets the unspoken needs of a growing Millennial lifestyle we call ‘Urban Adventurers,’” said Mark Dipko, director, corporate planning, Hyundai Motor America. “This new crossover allows them all the expandable utility they need throughout their active week, from work-life professionalism, to social interests, to a whole variety of outdoor pursuits, without the typical compromises they have come to expect from the industry’s current product offerings.”
Hyundai designers created a bold design that conveys the Urban Adventurer 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 highlighted by oversized wheels, Michelin tires with a special tread design, center-locking hubs and yellow Brembo brake calipers.
For ease of access to the rear seats, Santa Cruz features convenient, rear-hinged rear doors, which integrate seamlessly with the front door design. The wheel arches, roof and bed rails offer convenient tie-down cleats for securing cargo of all shapes and sizes. From the rear, the concept presents highly contoured bed forms, and for extra utility, the expandable bed can be easily reconfigured for longer cargo, using a unique drawer-like sliding function.
Efficiency is a key attribute of its advanced powertrains, with an environmentally friendly 2.0L turbo diesel powertrain delivering 190 horsepower and 300 lb.-ft. of torque, while achieving fuel economy in the high 30-mpg range. Santa Cruz also offers Hyundai’s HTRAC all-wheel-drive system, so there’s no anxiety about getting those snowboarding “fresh tracks” right after a storm moves through.
The concept is purposefully compact, and although it has four doors and seating for five, its overall footprint is similar to a small CUV. These dimensions make it ideal for navigating the urban jungle or a tight parking spot that most pickup drivers often have to pass by. It offers typical CUV driving character, but with a versatile cargo bed that provides separated storage for all you want to bring along, whether it’s a trip to the recycling center, a surf or paddleboard session or a couple of mountain bikes for the trails.
So whether it’s loading up friends and firewood for a bonfire at the beach, coaching the youth soccer team or volunteering for a community restoration project, Urban Adventurers need a vehicle versatile enough to accommodate both passengers and gear, while being efficient enough to fit into their unique lifestyle.
Source: Hyundai Motor America
