A few years back, rumors began to surface regarding Hyundai, claiming the company was going something nobody would have ever imagined them to do at any point in the past, building their first-ever pickup truck.
Now that some time passed since the announcement, the rumors began to materialize and Hyundai eventually confirmed to be working on their own pickup, leading to the introduction of the Santa Cruz Concept at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Since its initial showing, Hyundai reportedly received enough positive feedback to convince the brand to possibly put it into production.
Back when I attended the national launch of the 2016 Hyundai Tucson SUV, Hyundai’s CEO, Dave Zuchowski, even admitted that the reception for the Santa Cruz was enough for Hyundai to take the prospect to the next step.
But seeing as how Hyundai doesn’t have a pickup truck right now to base their new model on, they have to start from the ground up, which means, lots of time will be needed before one lands into the hands of a new owner. How much time specifically?
Well, according to Australia’s CarAdvice, Hyundai won’t have their pickup ready by “anything this side of 2020,” meaning Hyundai’s utilitarian offering is still quite a few years away.
“We’ve got a planning horizon in place where they’re looking at the vehicle quite seriously, but there is yet to be a commitment to produce,” Hyundai Australia’s chief operating officer, Scott Grant, told the outlet.
While Australia’s car news reports have been questionable at times, the validity of this discussion makes sense, considering Australia has a high demand for utilitarian vehicles, like pickups, because of the need to occasionally travel to desolate places down yonder. It’s part of the reason why trucks like the Land Rover Defender, the Toyota Land Cruiser, and many more are popular sellers in that market as well.
The latest dirt on the Hyundai pickup suggests the use of the same platform as the Tucson crossover, while featuring all-wheel drive and a five-seater interior. If this sounds familiar already, that’s because the Honda’s latest Ridgeline pickup truck is somewhat similar, utilizing a car-based platform to create a versatile, car-like pickup crossover.
Should all go well, the Hyundai pickup will likely compete with the aforementioned Honda Ridgeline and could even introduce Hyundai’s first-ever diesel engine to the United States.
– By: Chris Chin
Source: CAR Advice
Source: egmCarTech http://bit.ly/29DSIvG
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