South Africa's love affair with compact bakkies is not shared in many other parts of the world, but one country where these little car-based pick-ups are big - in fact far bigger than anywhere else - is Brazil.
This market has been heating up in recent times, and now it appears as if Hyundai is considering entering the fray.
Revealed at the Sao Paulo Motor Show this week, the Hyundai Creta STC Concept is, as its name and looks imply, based on the Creta compact SUV that's due in South Africa early next year.
The STC (which stands for Sport Truck Concept) rides on a longer wheelbase than its SUV sibling and has a sleek 'cab-and-a-half' design complete with suicide doors leading to a storage area behind the front seats - unless they've actually managed to squeeze some jumps seats there.
Salón de San Pablo: Hyundai sorprendió con la pick-up Creta STC
Nota: https://t.co/96zaripghL pic.twitter.com/S24LfrcvQ3
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Clearly aimed at youthful buyers, the bakkie also has speakers in the rear load bin, although we're not sure how much cargo you'd actually fit in there.
At this stage it's unclear, however, whether Hyundai actually intends to create a production version of the Creta STC, but the mere presence of this concept shows that the South Korean carmaker is certainly eyeing the segment.
As mentioned, small bakkies are big business in Brazil.
While SA has just two options in the form of Nissan's NP200 and Chevrolet's Utility (the latter a Brazilian creation), Brazilian customers have a wide array of compact bakkies to choose from and the segment is expanding upmarket with recent arrivals such as the Fiat Toro (below) and Renault Duster Oroch. Based on the Jeep Renegade, the Fiat is larger than traditional compact bakkies and comes in double cab form.
Another popular option, and one that South Africans would surely die for, is Volkswagen's Saveiro, which is based on the Brazilian-designed Gol hatchback and available in single cab and maxi cab body styles, the latter also offering a second row of seats.
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