Hyundai’s currently product portfolio have right now from small hatchbacks to sedans to SUVs, but we can all agree that they are missing one important bodystyle in their portfolio, a mid-size pick-up. This could be covered by the Santa Cruz, but we can place it as an upscale model. Check this nice render by Enoch Gonzales.
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Body-on-frame pick-up trucks sell like hotcakes in a lot of countries especially in Australia and Southeast Asia. Hyundai has been missing a lot of opportunities in this segment, and to think that Peugeot, Chinese manufacturers like Foton and Great Wall, and even Mercedes-Benz entered the competition, there’s really no reason for the Korean brand (including Kia) not to have one in their line-up.
Hyundai will soon introduce the Santa Cruz lifestyle truck, but still, it rides on a unibody platform, and will surely lack the flexibility, utility and off-road capabilities of a true ladderframe truck.My design is intended to compete with the likes of Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton and Ford Ranger.
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The design follows Hyundai’s Design philosophy. It carries the same elements from SUVs like Palisade and Santa Fe. The front is dominated by a large “cascading” grille and a pair of 2-level headlights connected by Z-shaped LED strips.
The side features wide muscular fenders, highlighted by a pair of indented bodylines. At the back, it’s as basic as it could get, emphasizing the truck’s utilitarian purpose. I also followed Hyundai’s tradition of naming their utility vehicles after different places in the world. I derived the name “Tarlac” from a province in the country where I live, The Philippines
