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The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a cool little trucklet. We like it, other car publications like it—it’s good. But it has never come close to matching the Ford Maverick on sales, and according to a report from Automotive News, it’s about to stop trying. Sources with inside info allegedly told the outlet that Hyundai is sunsetting the Santa Cruz earlier than expected to shift focus toward a body-on-frame truck.
It’s unclear exactly when Santa Cruz production might stop, though it was originally slated to stay on sale through the first half of 2027. I had to look it up, but the Tucson-based model has been on the market for nearly five years at this point. Still, it has struggled in terms of popularity, with customers only buying 25,499 of them in 2025; compare that to 155,051 Mavericks sold over the same period.
Blaming the Santa Cruz for its subpar performance doesn’t feel right. It’s a neat, lifestyle-oriented ute that makes sense for more people than will ever admit it. Ford simply has more brand recognition when it comes to pickups, and that’s something Hyundai will continue to battle as it rolls out its larger, more traditional truck in the coming years.
Hyundai seems to be planning a full-fledged truck program, complete with off-road models. One of the brand’s North American execs told The Drive that future XRT vehicles will be “truly capable.” He insisted that they will “100%” be more capable than the soft-roaders you’ll find in Hyundai showrooms today.
Surely I’m not alone in being excited to see how Hyundai executes its plans here. Nobody expects it to knock off the established players in the 4×4 space—at least, not any time soon—but a legit four-wheeler from the manufacturer will be interesting. And given its track record for design lately, it should look pretty slick, too.
If only the Santa Cruz could live to see that day.
Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com
From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.
