- Hyundai’s Santa Cruz small pickup truck reportedly won’t be back for 2027.
- The small pickup is based on the Hyundai Tucson compact SUV.
- Sluggish sales compared to rival Ford Maverick and plans for a midsize truck are apparently behind decision.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz small pickup truck will lug its last load this year, according to reports published last week. Hyundai will prematurely end production of the plucky pickup due to flagging sales and plans for a larger midsize pickup truck, Automotive News reported.
Launched for the 2022 model year, the Hyundai Santa Cruz will apparently last only one generation. Based on the Hyundai Tucson compact SUV, which is the brand’s bestseller, the Santa Cruz featured a 4-foot bed with a built-in tonneau cover instead of a traditional SUV cargo hold. With a lopped-off end, the look was polarizing, with some considering it a daring design and others asking what it is.
Initial sales were strong, with Hyundai selling about 35,600 models in 2022. But sales peaked midway through 2023, according to data from Kelley Blue Book parent Cox Automotive, and slid to about 25,500 units in 2025. Hyundai sold nearly 10 times as many Tucson models in 2025.
Quickly Gained Competition
Initially a rival of none, the Santa Cruz only had a few months of sales before the Ford Maverick went on sale. Designed to look like a small F-150 and priced to undercut not only the Santa Cruz but nearly every other new car on sale, the $20,000 Maverick was a sensation. It came standard as a hybrid with a 37-mpg combined EPA rating. It was front-wheel drive only for the hybrid model, whereas the Santa Cruz had available all-wheel drive (AWD) but it was rated at 23 mpg combined. The Maverick also offered all-wheel drive and a turbo gas engine.
The Maverick reportedly outsold the Santa Cruz six to one, even as it has steadily climbed in price to over $30,000 for the 2026 Maverick hybrid. The non-hybrid version is now $1,000 cheaper.
It was believed that the second-generation Santa Cruz would get the Tucson’s hybrid powertrain, which is rated at up to 38 mpg combined for the 2026 model.
But that appears not to be. Sources say ending the production of the Santa Cruz will free up capacity at Hyundai’s Tucson plant in Montgomery, Alabama. Tucson sales, and its three powertrain variants, continue to rise.
Hyundai will reportedly begin production of a body-on-frame pickup truck in the summer of 2029. Hyundai has never made such a truck in the truck-loving U.S. before. That midsize pickup would compete with the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and Chevy Colorado.
With existing Santa Cruz models occupying space in dealer lots, it could make for a good buy. The KBB Fair Purchase Price shows about $1,300 less than the MSRP, including the destination fee.
