Hyundai Santa Cruz: the compact pick-up arriving in 2021

The Hyundai Santa Cruz will be the next compact pick-up from the Korean brand and will go on sale in 2021

The pick-up segment is in fashion, and while they will never become bestsellers in Europe, several brands have decided to add one to their range. Just recently, the brutal Ford Raptor arrived on our continent for the first time, and we had the chance to test it a few months ago.

Hyundai is currently going through this process, and it was last November that the Koreans announced that a new pick-up was part of their plans. It will be called Hyundai Santa Cruz and production will start in 2021 at the brand’s plant in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Hyundai Santa Cruz will open a new segment

However, the brand’s new pick-up will have a different approach from what we are used to, as it will have a more urban focus with more compact dimensions. When they unveiled the first prototype, the manufacturer itself said it would be aimed at “Millennials who want all the qualities of a compact city car but with the versatility offered by a pick-up.” Therefore, it seems the Hyundai Santa Cruz is going to open up a completely new category.

Despite its urban vocation, the brand’s next launch will have all the off-road qualities attributed to a vehicle of this type. Proof of this is that its development period is currently taking place on the frozen tracks of Lapland.

In the images that have been released, we can see a pick-up with a double cab with two rows of seats and a smaller rear bed than its competitors usually have. Furthermore, although the mule is carefully covered with black wraps, more curved shapes can be made out to give it a more dynamic appearance.

Looking at the front and the way the headlights are positioned, the front design will probably follow the lead of what we can see on the Hyundai Santa Fe. In addition, the largest SUV in the brand’s range will share production lines with the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

We will have to wait a few months to learn more details about the brand’s upcoming launch, although it would not be surprising if it adopted the mechanicals of the Hyundai Santa Fe or even the Mild Hybrid system of the Hyundai Tucson, which would give it the advantages of the DGT ECO label.