--- title: "Hyundai Wants You to Trade a Worthless NFT for a Real Santa Cruz" date: "2024-10-06" modified: "2024-10-06" authors: - name: "Beverly Braga" job_title: "Weekend Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/beverly-braga" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/hyundai-wants-you-to-trade-a-worthless-nft-for-a-real-santa-cruz" categories: - "Hyundai News" - "News" - "News by Brand" tags: - "giveaway" - "Hyundai" - "hyundai santa cruz" - "pickup" - "sweepstakes" --- # Hyundai Wants You to Trade a Worthless NFT for a Real Santa Cruz ![]() *\X / Hyundai USA\* When someone offers you something for nothing, there has to be a catch. But what if that someone were [Hyundai](), and the something was a brand-new car? As for the nothing, that would be a [now-worthless NFT]() you won back in 2021. For some reason, Hyundai wants its giveaway prize back…in exchange for another giveaway. https://www.instagram.com/hyundaiusa/reel/DAjAWDIvD6C/ [The fine print on such sweepstakes]() might say that the freebie you won is yours, but only after you pay taxes, fees, and shipping. Or only residents of the contiguous states plus the District of Columbia may enter, which leaves those in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories SOL…again. Or perhaps the devil in the details asks for your firstborn in exchange. In this case, most of the above [rules]() apply. A notable factor, though, is that this was a first-come, first-serve opportunity. But there wasn't much competition, and the odds were no more than one in 10. Only the verified owner of a [Hyundai Santa Cruz]() NFT could participate in the promo. Who and what? Okay, during the Before Times, in the year 2021, Hyundai announced it was giving away "historic, first-ever Hyundai branded NFTs." If you've forgotten, NFT stands for non-fungible token. Totally unique but, ultimately, totally a bust, NFTs were all the rage when the world was in lockdown. I personally still don't understand it other than there were a bunch of bored ape images and [other "art"]() floating around. https://twitter.com/hyundai/status/1385630851170459651 Anyway, this quirky giveaway coincided with the launch of the equally quirky Santa Cruz. All you had to do was tweet (it was still called Twitter then) about the vehicle by the deadline and include specific hashtags in the post. True to its word, Hyundai awarded 10 people with NFTs. This time around, in order to win the Santa Cruz or optional cash prize, one of those OG NFT winners had to be the very first person to submit a valid entry. The Hyundai NFT trade-in promotion was posted on multiple social media platforms and was to end on October 30. However, according to the official website, the car (or cash) has [already been claimed](). Hyundai wasn't giving away a base-model vehicle, either. The winner could choose between a top-of-the-line 2025 Santa Cruz Limited AWD, which has an MSRP of $42,500, or a cash payment of $20,000. Taxes and such would be the winner's responsibility. But why Hyundai is even doing this, resurrecting the dead world of NFTs, is anyone's guess. Hopefully, the NFT trade-in will have a positive impact on the winner, regardless of which prize option they choose. ## Author Born and raised in Hawaii, Beverly has been a prolific and published creative writer since her teens. As a contributor to The Drive, Beverly covers the weekend shift, blogging about all things automotive, mobility, transportation, and topics in-between. Currently a digital nomad, Beverly's only constant is her car, a second-generation Mazdaspeed3. Even though she's never in one place for too long, her hot hatch always feels like home. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()