2018 Hyundai Santa Cruz To Be Launched In The U.S. Market

The 2018 Hyundai Santa Cruz pick up truck confirmed to go on sale in US!

The Hyundai Santa Cruz truck concept was one that drew a lot of interest when it was unveiled, and now a production version, based on the Tucson crossover, is set to hit the market.

It is expected that the pick-up from Hyundai will arrive in 2018, although rumor has it that the near-production vehicle will be shown off already at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November.

If that information proves to be wrong, expect to see it in the early part of 2017 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

2018 Hyundai Santa Cruz prices to start at around $25,000

Hyundai did a little research on this vehicle, and found that they could potentially sell 50,000 units annually, which was why it was given the green light.

There are many who believe that those estimates are on the low side, as analysts think that the Santa Cruz truck could hit sales of 75,000 units if it comes in at the estimated starting price of $25,000.

Dave Zuchowski, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, believes that the Santa Cruz is a prime candidate for a diesel engine in the US.

The European version of the Tucson comes with both 1.7- and 2.0-liter CRDi turbodiesel engines, but it may be that the Santa Cruz does things differently.

There is a new 4-cylinder diesel currently being developed for new Genesis models in Europe, and that may end up under the hood of the Santa Cruz.

There is no word yet whether or not the Santa Cruz will be built in Montgomery, Alabama, but it seems like a logical choice given that there is more than enough production capacity available at the plant that already makes the Elantra, Sonata, and Santa Fe Sport.

If rumors are to be believed, it could be that sister company Kia may soon be revealing their own version of the Santa Cruz truck model in the early part of 2017.