Hyundai Santa Cruz concept likely getting production version

A Hyundai executive has announced they are seriously considering production of pickup trucks.

This decision has been taken following a "good response" received for the Santa Cruz concept which was unveiled back in January at NAIAS in Detroit.

However, Park Byung-cheol, a director at the company's R&D division says there are a few obstacles they must overcome so it will probably take a while until we will see a pickup truck wearing the Hyundai badge.

The aforementioned Santa Cruz represents a mixture between a crossover and a truck tailored to "urban adventurers" and equipped with a turbodiesel 2.0-liter engine rated at 190 bhp (142 kW) and 300 lb-ft (406 Nm) sent to a HTRAC all-wheel drive system.

Chances are a production pickup truck from Hyundai will get a similar system which in the concept grants a fuel consumption of 7.8 liters / 100 km (30 mpg US or 36 mpg UK).