[Zaine]

Though there has been no official confirmation directly from Hyundai, there are a lot of auto blogs and articles that suggest a 2020 release date. With new competitors joining the segment from Ford and FCA, waiting a year or so to bring it to market could be a costly mistake. The addition of a midsize truck to their range of vehicles would also increase the versatility that the company has on offer, allowing for a natural expansion. The success of this model will define how the company treats this segment in the future, and this could be one of the few examples where a non domestic truck has managed to break into the US market.

The Korean carmaker told CNBC it expects a production version of the Santa Cruz will launch in the U.S. market in 2020 or sometime the following year. The Santa Cruz pickup concept was revealed at the January 2015 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Originally intended as little more than a styling exercise, the compact pickup will become a central part of the push by Hyundai to expand its presence in the booming U.S. light truck market.

Hyundai wants to build it and yes, it's only a matter of time when the Santa Cruz will spawn a production version. In August 2017, Reuters reported that a pickup had been greenlit as Hyundai needed to correct a sales slide; a year later, we envisioned a 2020 unveiling date for the finalized truck. Now, Autocar says Hyundai is launching the truck "as soon as possible."

 

[Santana]

Not impressed by how much Hyundai has been pushing the SC's release further and further away but 2020's seems promising with the new Santa Fe release just recently.

 

[Morrison]

The Ridgeline has managed to do fairly well and the sales of the Tacoma speak for themselves. I think NA buyers are open to foreign pickups, there have just been so few good products for them to choose between.

 

[Wolke22]

It will be much easier for them to compete in the midsize class than the full size segment. I agree that models like the Nissan Titan haven't helped to prove that Japanese brands can release competitive products. Smaller models like the Navara have been doing very well overseas for years however.

 

[Santana]

The only need that Hyundai needs to fulfill is that which makes the Santa Cruz a great SUV alternative, for everything else, no one will shop Hyundai.

 

[Zaine]

And you are making that assumption based on what? Hyundai has plenty of top selling models in their lineup and their new EV's are looking to be some of the best we've seen on the market. Now that they are expanding upon their premium brand, we are also going to benefit from some of those design cues trailing down to other segments as well.

 

[Santana]

And you are making that assumption based on what? Hyundai has plenty of top selling models in their lineup and their new EV's are looking to be some of the best we've seen on the market. Now that they are expanding upon their premium brand, we are also going to benefit from some of those design cues trailing down to other segments as well.

I'm just looking at what's selling and what people I know really want at the end of the day. its best not to mess with a formula that works

 

[Morrison]

Both the Elantra and Tuscon saw record breaking numbers last year, with the former almost reaching 100,000 units. More and more people have come to recognize the value that's found in their models, especially for the price. Not to mention they have one of the most comprehensive warranties in the industry.

 

[Santana]

Both the Elantra and Tuscon saw record breaking numbers last year, with the former almost reaching 100,000 units. More and more people have come to recognize the value that's found in their models, especially for the price. Not to mention they have one of the most comprehensive warranties in the industry.

I don't know how the new Kia Forte plays into this because both Kia and Hyundai are related but it too is a hot product, essentially a baby Kia Stinger, or the closest thing we can get to one.
The next step should have been offering it in RWD to bring back the cool edge compacts had decades ago.
Aside from that these Korean brands are on the ball, getting past the badge is just a challenge for some which could see sales get much higher.

 

[Zaine]

I think one thing that a lot of people overlook is the fact that these Korean manufacturers have actually become more American than many domestic brands. Just look at how many Ford/GM products are now being produced in other countries. This might not be an area of interest for the new generation of buyers, but that was a huge deal breaker in the past.

 

[Santana]

I think one thing that a lot of people overlook is the fact that these Korean manufacturers have actually become more American than many domestic brands. Just look at how many Ford/GM products are now being produced in other countries. This might not be an area of interest for the new generation of buyers, but that was a huge deal breaker in the past.

The broader picture is, its just marketing.
At the end of the day most automakers build vehicles of similar spec with slight variations. its just under what type of marketing they're able to carry out and the consumers they can attract from that.

 

[Morrison]

Where a vehicle is produced can have a large impact on its build quality and the availability of parts. Sure there are models that get region specific adjustments, but when you are buying domestic I think there is an expectation that its made there.

 

[Santana]

To some extent that's true but I feel it has more to do with management at those plants which comes back to the manufacture as a whole.
In fact it should be a reason to be suspect of the entire brand if build quality falls from relocating.

 

[Wolke22]

The majority of automakers only care about their bottom line, and outsourcing of various components has become a common practice throughout the industry. That's not done to find better parts, but cheaper.