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Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz might be the compact pickup we've been waiting for

The recent pickup truck renaissance and the dominance of the crossover has not been a great thing for car-heavy brands like Hyundai. That doesn't mean the Korean manufacturer is sitting on its hands, though, as it's taken the 2015 Detroit Auto Show to introduce the Hyundai HCD-15 Concept, also known as the Santa Cruz. The handsome trucklet heralds an eventual production model, and while the overall styling is likely to be softened by the time a sellable model arrives, there are a number of features present on this design-only concept that give us hints about the future Santa Cruz. Rear-hinged half-doors grant access to the back seats, while the cabin itself can seat five people without much shoehorning. The cargo area, while quite compact at first glance, can easily be expanded to space Hyundai describes as "similar to a mid-size pickup." Aesthetically, we're fans of the Santa Cruz's styling, which is more brutish than "fluidic sculpture 2.," without appearing brash. The hexagonal grille, upright front fascia, and fast C-pillar are all very nice touches, although the rear tailgate does appear somewhat awkward. The Santa Cruz's theoretical powertrain (it never moved while on stage, and it lacked a real interior) features at its heart a 2.-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder. With 190 horsepower, 300 pound-feet of torque and HTRAC all-wheel drive, we can only hope that Hyundai's powertrain claims see the light of day. Take a look at our full gallery of live images from the floor of the 2015 North American International Auto Show, and then head below for Hyundai's official statement on its latest concept truck. Hyundai's Fresh Take on the Sport Truck Concept Appeals to Trending "Urban Adventurer" Millennial Lifestyles Appeal of a Modern CUV with the Incremental Utility of an Expanding Truck Bed DETROIT, Jan. 12, 2015 – Today, Hyundai revealed its innovative Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. This fresh concept reflects a completely new interpretation of truck utility for a new generation of buyers, especially Millennials, who represent the second-largest population of car buyers. "The Santa Cruz crossover truck concept meets the unspoken needs of a growing Millennial lifestyle we call 'Urban Adventurers'," said Mark Dipko, director, corporate planning, Hyundai Motor America.

Hyundai in hot water over suicide-themed commercial

There's a surprisingly long and storied history of automakers creating suicide-themed advertisements. You'd think the companies and their marketing firms would have figured out by now that such ads always result in a swirl of backlash - see examples from Audi, Citroën, General Motors and Volkswagen, all pasted down below, as proof.
It seems somebody at Hyundai didn't get the message that many people don't find suicide a laughing matter. A video making the rounds on the web that was, according to Hyundai, produced in the UK, depicts a man trying to commit suicide by pumping exhaust fumes into the passenger compartment of his car. As it turns out, the self-assisted death doesn't quite go according to plan.
Scroll down below to see the ad from Hyundai, a slew of similar spots from other automakers, and an official statement from Hyundai. After that, we suggest reading this piece from our friends at AOL Autos to see how deeply such thoughtless advertisements can affect people.

First Hyundai N car coming to US in 2018, and we think we know what it is

SEOUL, South Korea - At the worldwide debut for the all-new Hyundai Kona compact crossover in South Korea, a group of journalists was given a sneak peek at Hyundai's new N performance car division. The group, led by Albert Biermann, has been tasked with giving Hyundai a performance image beyond the occasional car like the Genesis coupe or Veloster Turbo. Its first project, the i30 N, is nearly complete. Unfortunately, it's not coming to the US, though we will be getting our very own N car sometime next year. Now, Biermann and Hyundai will not say what that car is, but all signs point to the Veloster. Hyundai won't comment on future products, but we saw at least three distinct versions of the Veloster testing at Namyang during our visit. There was a standard model with center-mounted trapezoidal exhaust tips. There was a turbo-badged model with two round center-mounted exhaust tips. Finally, we saw what is surely the N model. This had a hidden N badge in the grille (in the same place as the i30 Ns that we saw) and exhaust tips that were pushed to the corners of the bumper. We weren't allowed to take photos of anything, but the new Veloster has the same basic asymmetric shape as before, as seen in some spy photos. The interior looks to be similar to the i30, with a floating infotainment display and a clean and simple layout. Unfortunately, most of the exterior was still covered in camouflage. Despite the parade of cars, there was nothing on the exterior that we haven't seen in spy photos. Other details are scarce, but look for the turbo model to retain the 1.6-liter turbocharged inline four, good for at least 200 horsepower. That should give the N model plenty of breathing room. We believe it will get the same engine as the i30 N, meaning a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making at least 250 horsepower, possibly more. While we didn't get a chance to drive the i30 N, the cars made all the right noises when blasting about. According to Biermann, it was the sound of tuned Hondas and Kias blasting about Hyundai's R&D facility that really kicked things off with N. Engineers were buying other cars since there wasn't much on offer. Hyundai wanted to give people cars they could track and tune and be just as fast as the competition. We have high hopes for both the Veloster N and the N division as a whole. Biermann was formerly the vice president of engineering for BMW's M division and was in charge of the development of the M3, M4, and M6.