Hyundai has brought its first to the final winter tests serial pickup called Santa Cruz. Spy photos from the tests were published by the edition Engine1… The car is being tested in Finland on a frozen lake.
According to preliminary data, the official premiere of the car will take place in a few months. The production of the model will start before the end of this year. The Santa Cruz will be assembled at a plant in Montgomery, Alabama. Now Elantra, Sonata and Santa Fe are assembled at this enterprise. The Koreans spent $ 410 million on the modernization of the plant.
In spy photos, the novelty is still hidden under camouflage. However, we can already say that the design of a serial pickup will practically not differ from concept of the same namewhich was unveiled back in 2015 at the Detroit Auto Show. At the same time, the serial Santa Cruz slightly grows in size compared to the prototype.
The car will be built on the platform of the Tucson crossover new generation… According to unofficial data, the car will be equipped with atmospheric and turbocharged “fours”. Also, customers will be offered a hybrid pickup modification. Most likely, the novelty will have both versions with a drive on one axle and an all-wheel drive version. As for the concept, it was equipped with a two-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel, developing 190 hp. from. and 406 Nm of torque.
Prices for Santa Cruz are still unknown. The main competitor of the car in the US market is called Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger.
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