The Hyundai Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept fuses the look of a car with the functionality of a pickup truck.
Sometimes, you need a good pickup truck – When your best bud finally decides he’s ready to unload his vintage foosball machine and it’s yours if you can pick it up today; when your wife does a Goodwill purge and wants to get all her so-last-year looks out the door on her way to shop for an updated wardrobe; when you lose a bet and have to help your old roommate move.
But if, outside of those moments of necessity, a pickup just isn’t your style, you just might be in luck soon. Introducing the Hyundai Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept – a great potential buy for the guy not quite ready to commit to a pickup, but wanting the versatility of one when the mood strikes. Sure, it looks cool, sporting a muscled yet sleek physique with a wide stance and an aggressive side-profile rake. From the front, you’ll see an upright, hexagonal grille with cascading lines framing the sides, dual lens-free, honeycombed headlamp projectors, and prominent LED fog lamps. The side profile boasts oversized wheels, Michelin® tires with a special tread design, center-locking hubs and yellow Brembo® brake calipers. The rear doors are rear-hinged for easy access and a more seamless design and the wheel arches, roof, and bed rails all feature convenient tie-down cleats for securing cargo.
But it’s what’s going on in the rear of the vehicle, recently unveiled at the North American International Auto Show (better known as the Detroit Auto Show) that really makes a difference. The highly-contoured bed forms lend a gorgeous look, plus a surprising bit of functionality as the expandable bed can be refigured for longer cargo via a unique drawer-like sliding function. Voila! You’ve got the look of a crossover with the performance of a pickup.
Says Mark Dipko, director, corporate planning, Hyundai Motor America: “The Santa Cruz crossover truck concept meets the unspoken needs of a growing Millennial lifestyle we call ‘Urban Adventurers.’ 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.”
Company officials won’t say whether or when the Santa Cruz Crossover might make it to the assembly line and ultimately to the sales floor, but word on the street is that this one is far more likely than most to make it into production. What do you think? Post your opinions on the E3 Spark Plugs Facebook Fan Page.
