Almost four years ago, Hyundai announced its entry into the incredibly popular double-cab its segment with the stunning Santa Cruz concept and a plan to take on the likes of Ford and Toyota.
After pulling the covers off the bold concept, the Korean manufacturer went silent when it came to their double-cab vehicle, but 2019 saw the rise of the Santa Cruz again.
Throughout the year, Hyundai Australia has been dropping hints about the ute, stating that a high-performance off-road variant may be in the works to take on the likes of Ford and Nissan.
When asked about the project, John Kett from Hyundai Australia was pretty blunt about what he wanted.
“It needs to be functional, that’s the important part isn’t it? We’ve gone down that pathway and the guys are working towards it. We just have to make sure when it arrives it’s a bloody ute.”
Just recently, the heavily-camouflaged ute was spotted for the very first time out in the wild, by a Korean publication. The Korean Car Blog only released one picture of the beast, but it's more than enough to get the gist of it.
It's instantly noticeable that the extended cab and half-hinged doors have been dropped from the concept, to allow for a more traditional cabin design, and regular doors. The tray doesn't look to be massive, but Hyundai was never out to build a huge ute.
Based on the underpinnings of the new Tuscon, the Santa Cruz will be manufactured at Hyundai's plant in Alabama from 2021. Despite being built in America, we can imagine that the Santa Cruz will be a big seller Down Under.
While Hyundai will probably smooth out the design from what we have seen on the concept, we can still imagine that a few cues will carry over considering that the 'Santa Cruz' name is being retained.