Monday, January 19, 2015

Hyundai Reveals Santa Cruz, a Crossover Pickup Concept

Today, Hyundai went boldly where several other automakers have gone before and failed when it unveiled a shiny silver five-passenger crossover with a small pickup-truck bed called the Santa Cruz.

Dave Zuchowski, CEO of Hyundai North America said the Korean automaker has deeply researched U.S. consumers and believes there is a demand for a crossover vehicle that has a truck bed that can be used to haul soccer gear, snowboards and other recreational equipment that millennials want, and need, to haul around.

"We know we are trying to do here. We are not trying to be a truck. We are not going to get ground clearance out of this. You are not going to get towing capacity out of this," Zuchowski said. "You are going to get five passenger comfort. You are going to get flexibly and versatility. To do some things you want to do."

Reaction to the Santa Cruz was mixed. Some thought it was the coolest vehicle shown today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit while others thought it was the ugliest.

Zuchowski said the crossover pickup is aimed at "urban adventurers."

"Or the landlocked surfer," quipped Andrew Mills on Twitter, who defines himself as a technology salesman.

Zuchowski said Hyundai hasn't decided if it is going build the Santa Cruz. That decision will be made after the automaker gauges reaction from the media and from consumers at auto shows this year.

The automaker also knows that it is exploring territory that other automakers have explored. The Chevrolet Avalanche, also a lifestyle pickup, was canceled after several years of production and the Honda Ridgeline has never been fully embraced by U.S. consumers. Honda sold just 13,389 Ridgelines in the U.S. last year.

Chrysler has explored the idea of a lifestyle pickup but has not been able to find the right combination of price, fuel economy and capability.

Zuchowski said the Avalanche was overpriced, a mistake Hyundai will not make. Still, there is a tremendous amount of competition in the pickup segment that includes new midsize entries such as a new Toyota Tacoma introduced today at the Detroit auto show as well as the midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon that went on sale late last year.

"We know where the new GM products are price wise," Zuchowski said. "We have to be in that same ballpark. We know exactly where we need to be to be competitive and be in the sweet spot of the market."

Hyundai also unveiled a redesigned version of its Sonata hybrid sedan and an all-new plug-in Sonata hybrid today at the Detroit.

Hyundai expects a revised transmission, new batteries and a more powerful electric motor along with unique wheels to help distinguish the Sonata hybrid from the standard version.

The 2016 Sonata Hybrid's 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine offers 10% better fuel economy than the outgoing model.

Hyundai also launched its first plug-in hybrid today. The plug-in looks very much like the regular hybrid, except for the charging port on the driver-side front fender.

Together, the two unveiled cars fill out the lineup for the Sonata, Hyundai's second-best selling car or crossover.

The 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid will travel up to 22 miles on electric power and can recharge in as little as two and a half hours with a 240-volt charger, the automaker said.

The 50 kilowatt electric motor is 32% more powerful than the motor used in the regular Sonata Hybrid.

Like the Chevrolet Volt, the Sonata plug-in can continue to operate on gas after the battery is depleted. A 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine kicks in, producing 154 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque.

The Sonata Hybrid is scheduled to go on sale this summer, and the Sonata Plug-In Hybrid will go on sale sometime later this year.

Hyundai will build the Sonata Plug-in Hybrid at the Asan, South Korea, plant and will go on sale in select markets later this year.

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