Move over Toyota Tacoma, here comes the ... Hyundai Santa Cruz !

Sell your Tacoma ... the Santa Cruz is coming ... !

I kid. I kid.

Still, pretty interesting nonetheless:

"Hyundai said Wednesday that it would fully unveil the Santa Cruz on April 15. The images it released revealed a truck that seems a bit bigger than the concept Hyundai showed in 2015, but it otherwise sticks to the same basic shape."


Link:
https://jalopnik.com/the-2022-hyundai-santa-cruz-is-finally-actually-happe-1846591519

 

I’d rather drive a reliable car

 

ok, that's a Hyundai El Camino

 

Can't see this as any type of competition to the Tacoma or Ranger or Colorado -

This is competing with the Ridgeline.
From a business perspective it makes sense.... there is no competitor with the Ridgeline.

These guys are wheeling and dealing in billions and billions of dollars - I suspect they know what they are doing.

 

A sport adventure vehicle. I can see thick bearded man bun boys, having the time of their lives in that bad boy!

 

Nah I’ll wait for the Ford Incheon. Thanks though.

 

Hyundai Brat/Baja

 

I would happily drive that all over the places that Tacoma overlanders pretend to go

 

Wow that is a special kind of ugly.

 

I’m crazy not stupid

 

Gonna be built in Alabama - wish Tacoma's were built here.

 

Wow, that thing is so bad ass, I just gotta get one.

 

Different article:

"But it was the now-abandoned compact truck segment that proved wildly popular when boomers were getting their first set of wheels, models like the Luv proving rugged, affordable and cheap to operate. The Hyundai Santa Cruz hopes to tap into a similar target audience, though it is being position as “more of a lifestyle, urban commuter vehicle,” said the executive with Hyundai Motor America, than a rugged, go-anywhere product."

They think they can sell 30,000 of them a year. Going to be interesting to watch as the compact truck segment heats up with this ... the new smaller Ford, etc.

Does it do what a Tacoma does? Of course not. I never really understood why people get so defensive about that -- unless they work for Toyota? In any case, fun to watch changes in the truck market and any and all pressure on the major truck makers is good for all of us.

 

I believe our 3.5 minivan engines are made in Alabama...

 

Jetsons edition Ridgeline? Probably comes with a Coexist sticker on the back window. No thanks

 

Great. It can hold 1 bag of cement in the back, I’ll just pass.

 

I bet it will have a higher payload than some Tacoma configurations.

 

I worked at Kia before and those trucks will have issues lol. But it’s good to have competition for Tacoma. It will keep the totes on its heels for the Tacoma and always competitive.