Overview
- Automotive News reports Hyundai is preparing to end Santa Cruz production ahead of its original Q2 2027 plan, with no discontinuation date publicly confirmed.
- Registrations in 2025 show the Ford Maverick at about 155,051 units versus roughly 25,499 for the Santa Cruz, a six-to-one gap that compounded inventory pressure.
- The production pullback is intended to free capacity at Hyundai’s Montgomery, Alabama plant for higher-demand models such as the Tucson.
- Hyundai says the Santa Cruz provided valuable open‑bed market experience and reiterates a confirmed midsize, in‑house body‑on‑frame pickup for the U.S. before 2030, with reports indicating a possible SUV offshoot.
- Hyundai executives and industry analysts point to the lack of a hybrid Santa Cruz as a competitive disadvantage against the Maverick’s fuel‑sipping hybrid option.