Update: Hyundai Santa Cruz Gets Production Green Light

Hyundai will enter the lucrative double-cab bakkie market as reports indicate that the Santa Cruz Concept bakkie has been given the green light for production.

It has been reported that the Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept bakkie has finally been given the thumbs up for production. Speaking to Reuters, Hyundai Motor America's vice president of corporate and product planning, Michael J. O’Brien confirmed that executives have given the green light to produce a production version of the Santa Cruz Concept.

An arrival date has not been confirmed as of yet but 2019 seems likely and the U.S. will be a key market. The new model has not yet been confirmed for the South African market, but if you consider Hyundai's success in South Africa and the high demand for leisure double-cab bakkies, we think the Santa Cruz would fit right in.

Hyundai Santa Cruz is a stylish bakkie

The Santa Cruz is said to be for the ‘urban adventurer’ who is in need of versatile yet stylish transportation. The Santa Cruz certainly looks stylish with its big front hexagonal grille and strong front-on features. The LED headlights have also been shaped to add a menacing appearance. There are also rear doors although you wouldn’t say so from the images here, Hyundai says the Santa Cruz has convenient rear-hinged rear doors which integrate seamlessly with the front door design. The oversized wheels add to the stance and are complete with centre-locking hubs. The Santa Cruz bakkie is an all-wheel drive machine, featuring Hyundai’s HTRAC system for distributing power to the wheels that need traction.

Engine power in this Santa Cruz concept comes courtesy of a 2.0-litre turbodiesel with 142 kW and 406 Nm so there’s plenty of shove and go available. It even promises to return 7.8L/100km. This is one of the best bakkie concepts we’ve seen in a long time and something like this would really suit our lifestyle oriented market. Go on Hyundai, build it so it looks exactly like this and then bring it to SA!