2021 Hyundai Santa Cruz
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The top picture is the body shell of the upcoming Hyundai Santa Cruz pick up. Which will be based on the Santa Fe crossover.
As you can see, it is not as muscular looking as the concept (middle pic) we saw over 5 years ago.
Although it’s pretty close, it doesn’t look more modern at all (After 5 years!)
You can also tell they added some surfacing on the side panels. Similar to what they did on the new Elantra (bottom pic)
Basically, they toned the design down and added some of their “current weirdness” to it.
Which actually could be enough. Since pick- up buyers don’t really seem to be that interested in modern styling, to begin with.
And at a projected base price of $25 000, this could very well be all the truck many people need…
Pickup drivers want modern designs. We all want our trucks to look like the Raptor, or the Limited, or the AT4, or the Rebel, or the Denali, or whatever other top trims exist from Dodge, Chevy, etc. It's just that you have to pay an arm and a leg to afford it. So those who need a pickup sacrifice styling, but not because we want to.
I fully agree though, this "weirdness" sweeping the entire Hyundai brand is like a suicidal death wish, especially with poorly their sales are doing. The only Hyundai I like right now is the Palisade in top trim.
I think they actually did a good job bringing the concept to reality, especially when you realize they have added 2 more full doors. The surfacing on the Santa Cruz is not to the extreme of the Elantra fortunately. Still looking forward to seeing the final product.
I lived by the beach in Santa Cruz for eleven years and trust me it was a lot cooler than this truck.
They took everything everyone liked about the first one and removed it. 2-Door, long expandable bed, small size. good looks. And man do those doors look small. How am I supposed to get my fat American but in there? Still, it will probably sell pretty good given Hyundai's warranty, being a brand new platform and design and being a a relatively small pickup in the American market.