2nd-gen Hyundai Santa Cruz to go RHD – report
A new report claims the 2nd-generation Hyundai Santa Cruz unibody bakkie will be produced in right-hand-drive form too, potentially opening the door to a local launch…
The Hyundai Santa Cruz – a unibody bakkie based on the Tucson SUV – is currently built only in left-hand-drive guise. However, a fresh report out of Australia claims there will be a 2nd-generation version – which could apparently hit the road as early as 2026 – and it will be produced in right-hand-drive form, too.
According to CarsGuide, Hyundai even previewed the next-gen unibody bakkie – which, of course, could end up using a different name in markets outside of North America – at a recent dealer event Down Under. The publication claims the new model could launch in Australia “around 2026”, once the 2nd-gen Santa Cruz has been revealed.
Of course, if the 2nd-gen Santa Cruz were indeed to be developed in both left- and right-hand-drive guise – as well as potentially produced outside of North America, in addition to the current facility in Alabama in the United States – an introduction to South Africa would certainly not be outside the realm of possibility.
As a reminder, the original Santa Cruz double-cab bakkie traces its roots back to a concept first displayed in 2015. After a lengthy gestation period, the production version was finally revealed in 2021, before an updated model (pictured here) broke cover in March 2024.
In North America, the current Santa Cruz is available with a choice of petrol engines. The first is a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder motor that drives all 4 wheels via an 8-speed torque-converter automatic transmission. Hyundai also offers a turbocharged 2.5-litre mill linked to an 8-speed (wet) dual-clutch automatic transmission, with this model likewise featuring all-wheel drive.
While Kia – in which the Hyundai Motor Group holds a controlling stake – is putting the finishing touches on its Tasman ladder-frame bakkie range, the Hyundai brand has yet to confirm that it will indeed offer its own version. So, for now, the Korean firm looks set to focus on its unibody model, while also potentially pushing into the electric bakkie space.
As an aside, a March 2024 report out of South America suggested that Hyundai was developing a new small bakkie based on the Creta, and thus set to be positioned below the Santa Cruz mentioned here. According to Brazilian media, this rumoured model could be released in initial markets “in 2026 or 2027”.
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