We might (emphasis on 'might'!) be one step closer to learning more about Hyundai's all-new double-cab ute, scheduled to go into production next year.
Up until this point, most of the phyisical evidence around the Hyundai Santa Cruz pick-up has hinged around its 2015 concept vehicle and a handful of pictures of thickly camouflaged production mule. We've had tidbits of other information from here and there, too, including news that it's being investigated as a fixture for the Australasian market.
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Now, a new leaked image published on Motor1 might (emphasis again on the 'might') have given us a closer look at what the Santa Cruz could look like.
Posted at the top of the story, the image shows the bodyshell of a double-cab ute with doors, fenders, and bonnet attached. The photo's original source was listed as anonymous by the publication, but it's safe to assume it's someone connected to the vehicle's development.
While previous images of the camo-covered utes showed that the ute was likely to utilise a new version of Hyundai's 'cascading grille', these new snaps showcase a handful of new details.
For one, the Santa Cruz looks set to use the same triangular bodywork crease on the front doors as we've seen on the new Elantra. It also has a 'flying buttresses' appearance to its rear thanks to a set of thick C-pillars, and a character line that cuts neatly into the rear passenger windows.
One of the biggest challenges the Santa Cruz will have to face is proving itself as a hardy and capable vehicle in the competitve ute segment. Along with the expectation that the Santa Cruz will be body on frame instead of unibody based, Hyundai Chief Operating Officer John Kett has issued some fighting words.
“If we are going to bring a ute out it better be a ute,” he said in an interview last year. “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.”
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