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All the Hyundai Santa Cruz needs now is the green light

Ever since Hyundai took the wraps off the Santa Cruz concept nearly a year ago, we've been closely watching to see if the Korean automaker would put it into production. The signs have been looking good, but this could be our clearest indication yet. According to the company's North American product planning chief, the road ahead is clear for the compact pickup. "We're very anxious to do something with the idea," Mike O'Brien told AutoGuide. "The engineering feasibility work has been done," and 18 months of preparation have already gone into laying out the business case. Now all it needs is the green light from the head office. Hyundai unveiled the Santa Cruz concept – codenamed HCD-15 – at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show. The design calls for a compact pickup crossover, similar in concept to the Honda Ridgeline, but smaller. It would be targeted towards young customers interested in outdoor activities who don't want to track the elements inside their vehicle along with their mountain bikes, kayaks, surfboards, and snowboards. If approved, the Santa Cruz would likely share its underpinnings with the Tucson crossover. Hyundai sells a good 50,000 Tucsons each year in the US, and the Santa Cruz is estimated to match (if not exceed) that number, helping Hyundai double its sales based on the same platform. The Santa Cruz is also tipped to be Hyundai's first diesel model in America. "The diesel is the most promising because of the fuel economy it delivers," said O'Brien. "It best matches in our research of what these customers are looking for... Outstanding fuel economy, good torque and good driveability."

Hyundai working on some sort of secret, single-seat EV

Hyundai's big electric push at the Geneva Motor Show this week was its three-pronged Ioniq line-up. But there will apparently be at least two other electric vehicles coming from the South Korean automaker in the near future, according to Reuters. These vehicles are a single-seat EV and an electric scooter. Neither of these EVs were mentioned in Hyundai's press releases. Neither of these EVs were mentioned in Hyundai's official press releases from Geneva, so details are sparse, but Reuters says that these non-standard vehicles slot nicely into Hyundai's future mobility plans. The Korea Herald says that the automaker is going to invest more in future projects that don't necessarily involve new cars. The idea is to increase the "mobility freedom" for people, according to a presentation from Hyundai Motor Group vice chairman Chung Eui-sun during Geneva. Hyundai would not confirm the news of the scooter or the single-seat EV to Reuters and requests for more information from AutoblogGreen were also ignored. When we learn anything official, we will let you know. Given the lack of details, we'll make some educated guesses. Electric scooters are extremely popular in Asia, and we don't think this will stray too far from the two-wheels-and-a-battery model that already works well. As for the one-seat EV, we have to think that Hyundai will take a page from the Renault Twizy or Toyota i-Road, both sleek little electric runabouts that are quirky, sure, but also perfect for running errands in an urban environments. We expect some sort of carsharing program, as well. The official Ioniq vehicles were three powertrains in one body style: a hybrid, PHEV, and pure EV. You can get all the details that we know about these vehicles so far here. Related Video: Related Gallery 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric: Geneva 2016 View 14 Photos News Source: The Korea Herald, Reuters Green Hyundai Transportation Alternatives Electric scooter hyundai ioniq ioniq

Kevin Hart tracks his daughter's Genesis in Hyundai Super Bowl ad

As the official automotive sponsor of the NFL, Hyundai has a massive advertising presence during Super Bowl 50, including four commercials premiering before or during the game. A newly released spot titled First Date markets the Genesis sedan (soon to be the Genesis G80) with humor by casting comedian Kevin Hart as a concerned dad who spies on his daughter's date. The commercial highlights Hyundai's Blue Link Car Finder that lets owners track their vehicle from a smartwatch. Hart uses it to follow his daughter on her date in increasingly absurd ways. By the end of the spot, he's hanging off a helicopter to keep an eye on her. This is also the second automotive ad to use a Queen song this year. Where Hyundai's commercial uses Another One Bites the Dust, Honda picks Somebody to Love for its Ridgeline spot. The 60-second commercial airs during the pre-kick time slot and joins Ryanville and The Chase among Hyundai's Super Bowl ads. The still unreleased Better premieres during the pre-game and shows the automaker's desire to improve its vehicles and customer experience. Related Video: