Hyundai's US CEO Indicates the Santa Cruze Concept Has Been Green Lighted

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Submitted by Will Maley on January 13, 2016 - 10:41AM

Ever since Hyundai revealed the Santa Cruz concept at last year's Detroit Auto Show, U.S. executives have been hoping to get the green light from the South Korean home base to begin work on a production model.

Speaking with Australian automotive outlet CarAdvice, Hyundai Motor America's CEO Dave Zuchowski didn't mince words about the future for the Santa Cruz.

“What’s the easiest way to say that? We’re waiting more for an announcement than we are for an approval, right?” said Zuchowski.

"So HMC [Hyundai Motor Company] is going to dictate (when that happens). We feel really good about it. It hasn’t been officially announced yet. Our timing is not crossing our fingers and waiting for approval, it’s trying to figure out when we’re going to announce it," he went on to say.

The Santa Cruz is expected to use the same platform that underpins the current Tuscon crossover.

Are you interested in seeing a production version of the Santa Cruz?