{"id":103271,"date":"2016-01-29T01:23:29","date_gmt":"2016-01-29T06:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=103271"},"modified":"2016-01-29T01:23:29","modified_gmt":"2016-01-29T06:23:29","slug":"hyundai-set-to-launch-1st-pickup-flood-of-new-suvs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2016\/01\/hyundai-set-to-launch-1st-pickup-flood-of-new-suvs\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyundai Set to Launch 1st Pickup, Flood of New SUVs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Hyundai won raves for the Santa Cruz concept, a car-based pickup unveiled in early 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a market increasingly dominated by pickups and utility vehicles, Hyundai is \u201cout of whack,\u201d with a car-dominated model mix, but that\u2019s about to change, says the company\u2019s top U.S. executive.<\/p>\n

Sometime before April, the Korean carmaker is formally planning to announce it will build the well-received Santa Cruz pickup that debuted in concept form at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. But it will be just one in a flurry of new crossover-based models for both the mainstream Hyundai and new Genesis luxury brands, officials have confirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re out of whack, a fish swimming upstream,\u201d in the current environment, said Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski, noting that while truck models currently account for 58% of the U.S. vehicle market, they make up barely 27% of Hyundai\u2019s American volume.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Keep on Truckin'!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And without getting more in line with market trends, Hyundai is beginning to see its steady growth begin to sputter, officials acknowledged during a media preview of the new Elantra sedan in San Diego.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect to see the maker start rolling out traditional, truck-based products. There will be no full-size body-on-frame pickups to challenge the Ford F-150, and no Hyundai alternative to the truck-based Chevrolet Suburban.<\/p>\n

But the car-based Hyundai Santa Cruz could find a strong audience among those who don\u2019t need a traditional pickup, but something more flexible and fun to drive, the company is hoping. Receiving strong praise after its debut in Detroit, Hyundai has been rushing to develop a production model. It\u2019s no longer a question of \u201cif\u201d the Santa Cruz will be built, Zuchowski told TheDetroitBureau.com during a later discussion, but when the official announcement will be made.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The updated, 2016 Hyundai Tucson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And he suggested a number of other announcements will follow. Currently, Hyundai offers the Tucson, Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport, but within the next several years, the CEO said, the company could go \u201cfrom three to what could be seven\u201d utility vehicles. As with the Santa Cruz, they all would be based on car-like, unibody platforms.<\/p>\n

The new models now in development include:<\/p>\n