Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz Might be the Compact Pickup We've Been Waiting for

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 2.0," 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 2.0-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.