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Non-Tech : Kirk's Market Thoughts -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robert b furman who wrote (2882)	3/17/2015 9:46:38 AM
From: Kirk ©	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 26806

Hyundai Motor mulls producing pick-up trucks reuters.com Mon, Mar 16 2015: SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor Co is considering producing pick-up trucks, an executive told reporters on Tuesday, saying its Santa Cruz crossover truck concept got "good response" at the Detroit auto show in January. However, Park Byung-cheol, a director at Hyundai's R&D division, added that there were "hurdles" to the production, without elaborating further. He also said there was no current plan to manufacture its Tucson crossovers in the United States. Santa Cruz crossover truck concept

To: robert b furman who wrote (2882)	3/17/2015 9:52:17 AM
From: Kirk ©	Respond to of 26806

Just How Close to Production Is the Hyundai Santa Cruz Crossover Truck? . blog.caranddriver.com The automotive graveyard is littered with kinda-sorta pickup trucks that attempted to blend carlike sensibilities with open-bed practicality. In the land of cheap gas and open roads, a full-size pickup truck just isn’t enough of an inconvenience to discourage drivers from buying more truck than they need. All of that makes Hyundai’s rad-looking, one-of-a-kind Santa Cruz Crossover Truck concept that much more intriguing. Can Hyundai succeed where so many have failed? We peppered Mike O’Brien, Hyundai’s vice president of product planning, about the idea and its chances for production. Based on the amount of thought O’Brien has put into it, along with his use of the verb “is” in referring to a production model, we’re guessing the Santa Cruz has a pretty good shot at reaching showrooms. ... *C/D: What about the Honda Ridgeline? It’s hardly been a resounding success, especially in recent years.* MO: That’s a totally different concept, aimed at full-size-pickup customers. *C/D: Would the Santa Cruz compete against mid-size trucks like the Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma?* MO: No. This is targeted at people that have not owned a pickup, that need something more than a CUV. Product planners are always looking at rejection, so they look at what people bought and they look at their second choice. There’s a very large number of people whose second choice is a pickup, and they reject them for typical reasons: maneuverability, parking, fuel economy, and price. We want something that gives most of what people need for daily open-bed utility without the compromises of thirsty fuel economy and difficult parking. *C/D: Is there a reason it doesn’t look more like a conventional truck?* MO: My personal view is that the more we make it look like a truck, the more consumers will look at it the way they look at a pickup, so then they’re going to look at towing and payload. If we make it look like a full-size pickup, people are going to expect it to do what a full-size pickup does. I think, personally, that would be a mistake. http://blog.caranddriver.com/just-how-close-to-production-is-the-hyundai-santa-cruz-crossover-truck/