The Santa Cruz sport utility truck may be approved for production as a competitor to the Honda Pilot-based Ridgeline, but the higher-ups are still undecided if the one-tonne segment is worth the hurdle. Reports of a body-on-frame competitor to the Ford Ranger came and went, but for all that, local Hyundai executives keep their hopes high for a mid-size workhorse.
Khodrocar - In comparison to the Santa Cruz, which is expected to share many of its underpinnings with the Tucson, the yet-unnamed one-tonne pickup is made for work first and foremost. This means that Hyundai needs a body-on-frame platform, and that’s a costly affair considering the automaker’s largest SUVs are unibody. To the point, Hyundai has to develop the platform from scratch.
Hyundai Australia chief operating officer Scott Grant previously declared that the official word within the automaker’s Australian division is that development is in its early stages. Senior manager of product planning Andrew Tuitahi adds fuel to the fire, declaring to Motoring: "We’re making our way through the first milestones now, providing feedback to head office as to what key criteria need to be met in order to be successful in Australia.”
Tuitahi believes the load-lugger will come to market "in the next two or three years” if everything goes according to plan. Think identifying a factory that can support body-on-frame production, towing and engine performance, off-road capability, the whole nine yards. Bearing in mind the mid-size segment is in full bloom in pretty much every corner of the world, including the U.S., it’d be surprised if Hyundai somehow decides not to go forward with this pickup.
But here’s the interesting thing about the 2020 Hyundai What’s-Its-Name. When asked about the possibility of luxury credentials (think Mercedes-Benz X-Class) and performance-oriented models (think Ford Ranger Raptor), Tuitahi replied: "What we’ve seen typically is a four-cylinder diesel workhorse but we’re watching Amarok come with a V6, the Ranger Raptor with a 2.7-litre V6 turbo maybe.” Read between the lines and you know what that means!
A Raptor-like Hyundai pickup will be "quite pricey” according to the official, and for what it’s worth, the big sellers in this segment are diesel-powered trucks. If, however, Hyundai can make a case for a go-faster workhorse, then there’s no questioning the Kia Stinger's twin-turbo V6 is a fitting motor.
Source: Autoevolution
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