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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