Ridgeline

Make
Honda
Segment
Sports Car

Hyundai has been exceeding expectations for some time, with stunning new models and innovative new technologies, but an attractive yet capable everyday vehicle like a pickup is something that could really move the brand in a new direction. Hyundai has been teasing us with the idea of a small pickup truck for some time, but we know that the Korean company's foray into this segment should be happening this year. While we've had our appetites whetted by spy shots and renders in the past, we've now received these images courtesy of cochespias of what appears to be the all-new Santa Cruz.

Unfortunately for our curious minds, the new images don't show us anything we don't already know from earlier images. The Santa Cruz will have a very sleek profile with the kinds of curves usually only seen on passenger cars, and we expect that the engine will be a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with an estimated 238 horsepower. However, the fact that the vehicle has been spotted out and about once again, without any wires taped to its body, tells us that development is progressing well, and the final product should be ready for unveiling some time in the near future. For a new vehicle that has had such a long birth, this is great news.

As is obvious from the pictures, the disguised pickup is on the back of a trailer, which leads us to believe that further testing is required somewhere away from prying eyes. Whatever is yet to be achieved with the pre-production version of the new model, we can't wait to see it get done so we can compare it to its chief rival, the Honda Ridgeline. That pickup comes with a V6 that produces more power than our above estimate for the Santa Cruz, but perhaps the torque figure of the new Hyundai will be class-leading. Or maybe Hyundai will blow us all out of the water with a hybrid powertrain. Time will tell.