Want a smidgen more proof that Hyundai will build the Santa Cruz pickup concept? Read this three-sentence article from Reuters , which quoted a company executive in South Korea, and see if you can find the “yes.”
We can’t, but after our longer interview with Hyundai USA’s vice president of product planning, we’re not surprised that Hyundai’s home base noticed the “good response” after the pickup’s Detroit debut. The man quoted is Park Byung-cheol, an R&D director who also mentioned “hurdles” to getting it to production.
Besides trying to sell a small, unibody, Korean pickup in the Home of the Whopper, where full-size, body-on-frame, American pickups are practically a religion, the biggest hurdle is Hyundai’s Alabama plant. Currently, it’s almost maxed out with about 400,000 Elantra and Sonata models per year, and because the Johnson-era chicken tax levies a 25-percent tariff on all imported trucks and vans, it’s ‘Bama or bust.
Reports in the Korean press, however, suggest that Hyundai will build a second Alabama plant for the Santa Fe—currently assembled at Kia’s Georgia factory alongside the Sorento and the Optima—and add the Tucson. The Santa Cruz could potentially sidle in alongside them. According to the Detroit Free Press , the new plant could support annual production of 300,000 vehicles by 2017. Nothing is confirmed.
- Just How Close to Production Is the Hyundai Santa Cruz Crossover Truck?
- Four Small(ish) Global Pickups We Want But Can’t Buy
- Honda Ridgeline Pickup Full Coverage: Review, Specs, Photos, and Pricing
With the Honda Ridgeline returning, there’s at least one manufacturer that thinks a smaller, unconventional pickup is viable in this market. Compared to the Ridgeline, Hyundai’s Santa Cruz is even smaller and more unconventional. But who knows, maybe it could succeed. It’s not like anyone has ever tried a diesel, front-wheel-drive pickup with a power-extendable bed before.
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