Report: Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup truck concept confirmed for production

Hyundai seems to be all set to produce its first ever pickup truck. According to reports, the Korean automaker’s pickup truck will bear similar characteristics from the Santa Cruz concept that was unveiled way back in 2015.

+2

In a report by Reuters, this is part of the company's plans on shifting away from sedans. The confirmation came from Hyundai US Corporate and Product Planning president Michael O'Brien. The London-based publication added that this move is due to the pressure from Hyundai US dealers who are asking their parent company to invest more on SUVs and trucks as the demand for sedans continues to scale down.

Related: Say aloha to Hawaiian-inspired Hyundai Kona

Prior to this, Mercedes-Benz has revealed the X-Class, which the German automaker dubs as the first premium pickup truck. It is based on the Japanese pickup truck Nissan Navara and will be produced in cooperation with the Renault-Nissan alliance.

Meanwhile, in the local market, pickups are getting into the limelight. In fact, in AutoDeal's Automotive Insights for H1 2017, pickup truck sales accounts to 10% of the total vehicle sales. It comes a little below the crossover segment, which accumulated 13% of sales.

Aside from giving a go signal to a pickup truck, Hyundai also plans to introduce 3 new and updated SUVs by 2020. This is also the same expected time to see a Hyundai pickup, based on previous reports about the company's plan.

Source: Reuters