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Hyundai Santa Cruze pickup is a when, not an if

A production version Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz concept looks all but certain to arrive in showrooms to compete in the growing small truck field, and Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski claims the official announcement is now just a matter of scheduling. "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 said to Motoring. According to Zuchowski, the people at Hyundai's headquarters in South Korea have a say when the announcement comes, but he didn't indicate exactly how soon the model's production could be official. Zuchowski suggested Hyundai intended to ship the truck to places outside the US, too. "I'm not clear on the other markets, but from our perspective it's a vehicle that will be exported to other markets," he said to Motoring. The Santa Cruz was one of the most popular concept debuts at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, and Hyundai execs in the US quickly started working to get a green light for production from headquarters. As of late December 2015, the automaker reportedly had the engineering feasibility and business case complete for the truck, and the bosses just needed to give final approval. Hyundai would reportedly use the Tucson for the Santa Cruz's underpinnings, and the model might be the company's first with a diesel engine in the US. The production version would enter a booming market for smaller pickups like the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Toyota Tacoma, and newly unveiled second-generation Honda Ridgeline. However, Hyundai's entry would likely be the smallest among them and target young crossover customers who want a little more hauling capability. Related Video:

Hyundai-Kia names former Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley designer as design chief

Luc Donckerwolke, former designer for both Bentley, Audi and Lamborghini, is succeeding Peter Schreyer as the lead designer for both Hyundai and Kia. This follows a significant shuffle within the Korean automaker's upper management. Schreyer — himself a former Volkswagen Group designer — will head design management. Chung Eui-sun, the son of company chairman and CEO Chung Mong-koo, was promoted as executive vice chairman. The head of Hyundai Motor America, Kyung Soo-lee, is leaving his position after just more than a year on the job. That's a lot of moving pieces at the top of Korea's largest automaker. Donckerwolke has been with Hyundai-Kia since 2015 when he left the Volkswagen Group to take over Genesis design. Some of his most famous designs include the Lamborghini Murcielago, Lamborghini Gallardo, Bentley Flying Spur and Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6. Schreyer led the design of the original Audi TT and has helped push forward Hyundai and Kia. The pair's influence can be seen and felt throughout the company's lineup. According to Reuters, part of the shakeup within the leadership follows a company announcement that third-quarter profits have fallen, sending shares to their lowest level in nine years. Related Video:

US expands probe into ZF-TRW airbag failure-to-deploy to 12.3 million vehicles

DETROIT — U.S. auto safety regulators have expanded an investigation into malfunctioning airbag controls to include 12.3 million vehicles because the bags may not inflate in a crash. The problem could be responsible for as many as eight deaths. Vehicles made by Toyota, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and Fiat Chrysler from the 2010 through 2019 model years are included in the probe, which was revealed Tuesday in documents posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It involves airbag control units made by ZF-TRW that were installed in the vehicles. The control units can fail in a crash, possibly because of unwanted electrical signals produced by the crash itself that can disable an air bag control circuit housed in the passenger compartment, according to NHTSA documents. The electrical signals can damage the control circuit, the documents say. ZF, a German auto parts maker which acquired TRW Automotive in 2015, said in a statement that it's committed to safety and is cooperating with NHTSA and automakers in the investigation. The case is another in a long list of problems with auto industry airbags, including faulty and potentially deadly Takata airbag inflators. At least 24 people have been killed worldwide and more than 200 injured by the inflators, which can explode with too much force and hurl dangerous shrapnel into the passenger cabin. The inflators touched off the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history involving with as many as 70 million inflators to be recalled by the end of next year. About 100 million inflators are to be recalled worldwide. On April 19, NHTSA upgraded the ZF-TRW probe from a preliminary evaluation to an engineering analysis, which is a step closer toward seeking recalls. So far, only Hyundai and Kia and Fiat Chrysler have issued recalls in the case. Four deaths that may have been caused by the problem were reported in Hyundai-Kia vehicles and three in Fiat Chrysler automobiles. NHTSA opened an investigation in March of 2017 involving the TRW parts in Hyundais and Kias. The upgrade came after investigators found two recent serious crashes involving 2018 and 2019 Toyota Corollas in which the airbags did not inflate. One person was killed. Jason Levine, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a nonprofit consumer group, said the ZF-TRW case shows the auto industry thus far has learned very little from Takata.