The Hyundai Santa Cruz 2022 is finally happening

The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a compact truck that was the first showcased as a concept at the Detroit auto show in 2015 and has not materialized as a production model since, although Hyundai said in 2018 that he would get here “as soon as possible”. It looks like 2021 could finally be the year of Santa Cruz.

Hyundai said on Wednesday it would fully unveil the Santa Cruz on April 15. The images he released revealed a truck that looks a bit larger than the concept Hyundai showed in 2015, but it otherwise remains in the same basic shape. The headlights and grille are also quite different, with the latest Santa Cruz adopting a face similar to the new Tucson, which means that is also how you will judge the truck.

The other thing to watch out for here is how big it will end up being. It was initially positioned as a compact truck, but has now evolved into what Hyundai calls it an adventure sports vehicle. This does not bode well for those of us who are hoping this unibody pickup would be really small.

The Santa Cruz 2022 will break new ground in the SUV, truck and crossover segments by offering a new class of vehicles unlike anything else in the U.S. market. Santa Cruz features a bold yet sophisticated design, powerful and efficient powertrain options, a flexible open bed for gears, state-of-the-art connectivity, and a highly manoeuvrable all-wheel-drive platform that’s equally at home in environments urban and adventure oriented. The Santa Cruz will be produced in Montgomery, Alabama this summer.

Automotive news said that the Santa Cruz will compete with the upcoming Ford Maverick, which almost correctly looks small. It also looks like it will be electrified in some way (“efficient powertrain options”). And while there isn’t any pricing information yet, I would expect the Santa Cruz to start somewhere in the 1920s.

Beyond the Toyota Tundra and Tacoma, as well as some Nissans of the last century, non-Big Three trucks never really made their way to the United States; we’ll see if the Santa Cruz will be different. Anyway, I’m just glad this is finally happening. It’s only been six years and it’s changing.