The launch of the all-new 2022 Santa Cruz marked the first time in Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama’s history the plant has produced five vehicles at once.
Classed as a sport adventure vehicle, the Santa Cruz blends SUV features with the truck segment to create something entirely new for Hyundai. It features a secure, open bed area, which includes a lockable cover and hidden bed storage for gear-carrying flexibility.
“Santa Cruz, with its bold styling, breaks open an all-new segment territory, both for Hyundai and the industry as a whole. Open-bed flexibility coupled with closed-cabin security meets the changing everyday needs of its adventure-oriented buyers, while powerful and efficient engines and suburb maneuverability ensure it is a pleasure to drive in urban or off-road environments,” said Jose Munoz, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America.
Hyundai’s Montgomery plant recently underwent a $410 million expansion in support of starting the Santa Cruz production. In February, the plant started producing the 2022 Tucson SUV, Hyundai’s best-selling model globally. Both of these new vehicles join the Sonata and Elantra sedans and the Santa Fe SUV on the production lines.
“We are excited and honored to be producing Hyundai’s first open bed vehicle for the North American market,” said HMMA President and CEO Ernie Kim. “The launch of the Santa Cruz is a further testament to the trust Hyundai Motor Company puts in HMMA and our Alabama home.”
When it announced in late 2019 that HMMA would start building the Santa Cruz, Hyundai said it would be adding up to 200 jobs to the plant. HMMA is Hyundai’s only production plant in the United States.
The 2022 Santa Cruz will begin arriving in U.S. dealerships later this su
