HCD-15 Santa Cruz, Hyundai pickup truck to enter production

KUALA LUMPUR: The South Korean automaker, Hyundai, has confirmed that it will launch a pickup truck soon and following this, a Kia version will also be rolled out. This pickup truck will be based on the HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept that was revealed at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

The Chief Design Officer of Hyundai-Kia, Luc Donckerwolke said that the pickup is currently under development. The design has been finished, and the production will start soon. He has also confirmed that a Kia version of the HCD-15 Santa Cruz is also in the development process and will arrive later.

The brand new Hyundai pickup truck will be launched in 2020. However, it remains to be seen whether the pickup will be compact or not. The compact trucks are one-tonne pickups, much like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux models. If it's a full-size truck, it will compete against the GM’s Chevrolet Silverado and Ford’s F-150.

Apart from the ASEAN stalwarts, the Nissan Navara and Mitsubishi Triton (exported from Thailand), the European brands are also making their way to the segment via the rebadge route. Some of them are Fiat Fullback (Triton), Mercedes-Benz X-Class (Navara), and Renault Alaskan (Navara).

It has been a long since HCD-15 Santa Cruz debut in 2015. However, the South Korean auto giant has given an excuse that it had many important cars than the pickup to build. Hyundai has been working on EVs and US-spec SUVs. And that's why the progress on the pickup truck is slow. The manufacturer has brought a Kona crossover EV, and soon the large Telluride SUV will be launched.