Rival Santa Cruz to be cancelled

[710-oil-614]

Get ready! It has been confirmed that Toyota is launching a Maverick rival in early 2027. They will do what Hyundais didn't. There is a teaser photo out there already. Ford needs some competition to keep them on their toes. Plus they need us asking for what we need. Apparently they are putting the hard wired key pad back on the 26's due to customer request. I can't believe they heard us, but they did. Now if they could only fix that front bumper fascia on the '25 and '26. and bring back Eruption Green!!!

Do you have a link confirming the truck?

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[710-oil-614]

Ford Motors faces significant pressure from competitors like GM and Stellantis (Ram, Jeep), so I doubt the exit of Santa Cruz will have any significant impact on Maverick pricing. Maverick's high-volume low-margin creates a high barrier to entry for competitors. If Ford gets greedy and raise prices more than necessary to maintain margins, it will attract competition. That's how free market capitalism works, so it tends to be self-correcting. For now, I will keep enjoying my Maverick and see what's available if/when I decide to buy another compact truck.

What pressure is Ford facing from competitors in regards to the Maverick?

 

[Hunters Edge]

I'm saying that a truck that is closer to a Maverick for someone looking to buy, may consider the Hyundai for the warranty. No way would I have bought a Santa Cruz.

Gotcha thought you were saying with the warranty they may not take a hit in resale.

I know when researching the Maverick I think it was truck king, they had different trucks the Santa Cruz sliding or roller tonneau cover was frozen shut they couldn't open it to show the bed from an aerial view. Not saying that was the reason the truck didn't sell. It did show a big flaw for the northern hemisphere.

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

Because customers aren't so afraid of reliability from other manufacturers. I remember when Chrysler offered a 7-year/70,000-mile warranty for the same reasons.

I remember when Chrysler increased their 5 year/50,000 mile warranty to a 7-year/70,000-mile warranty in 1987.
I remember the commercials as well with Lee Iacocca. As a matter of fact.. here's a little nostalgia.


Of course this YouTube video didn't help sales of the Hyundai Santa Cruze.
Skip to 15:00 for the part where the engine says that's it I'm done.🪦


Diagnosis, it seems they ended up with a hole in the block.
Good thing Hyundai offers a 10-year warranty.

 

[BostonFordFan]

This wasn't the story-I can't seem to find the exact one, but it has some of the facts. Motortrend says it's an SUV coming, but all the articles point to a small truck. Google the story and more pop up. Carbuzz.com? auto week.com?
https://carbuzz.com/teaser-new-toyota-us-model-jan-2026/

 

[GmanGM]

I know a lot of Ford fanboys will rejoice at this rumor of the Santa Cruz being cancelled.
But the Santa Cruz really isn't a bad vehicle, it's a very comfortable and capable truck and yes the looks are a little polarizing but there are other vehicles with questionable looks that sell well. The interior is really nice and kind of makes the Maverick interior feel like a cheap toy.

I think where Hyundai really missed the mark with the Santa Cruz is with fuel efficiency. People are looking for fuel efficient vehicles more than ever and the Santa Cruz gas mileage is no better than a midsize truck. Meanwhile the Maverick Ecoboost easily beats the SC in fuel efficiency and the Maverick Hybrid mpg rating destroys the SC's mpg rating. Most people looking for a small truck or any smaller vehicle are doing so, at least in part, for better fuel economy.

It was also quite a bit more expensive for the 2022 & 2023 model years but Ford has now raised the price substantially each year on the Maverick and now the cost of Hyundai and the Maverick aren't very far off.

Can’t believe how many auto decisions seem to be made w lack of info and are bad decisions. I didn’t look can’t Cruz SOLEY because I wanted hybrid /good fuel economy. Hyundai has that capability in spades but never put it in Santa Cruz for unknown reasons (small truck needs good mileage imho).
SantaCruz has that Subaru Brat/Baja market sowed up and maybe more, but w bad fuel economy can’t capitalize on it so they just Bail while others are now coming into this small truck market? Maybe the new “ranger size truck” will have some different options and appeal , but sad to see a Baja like option disappear when incorporating already available tech Hyundai has could make it more widely demanded (and if they had used the phev tech they own they could have been the only phev truck on the market for years (that was what I wanted and still want and would have made me choose them vs Maverick).

 

[710-oil-614]

This wasn't the story-I can't seem to find the exact one, but it has some of the facts. Motortrend says it's an SUV coming, but all the articles point to a small truck. Google the story and more pop up. Carbuzz.com? auto week.com?
https://carbuzz.com/teaser-new-toyota-us-model-jan-2026/

So just to be clear...nothing is confirmed yet.

 

[Darryl]

So guess that tariff thing didn't work?

 

[KEMeyer]

What pressure is Ford facing from competitors in regards to the Maverick?

None for Maverick. It's one cog in Ford's wheel, small but important.

 

[Art Vandelay]

So just to be clear...nothing is confirmed yet.

Cooper Ericksen, Toyota Motor North America’s head of planning and strategy, told MotorTrend in August 2025 that the automaker is building the truck. So the information is coming straight from Toyota and is not just speculation. I would say that's confirmation.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-toyota-small-pickup-what-we-know-future-cars

With the Maverick’s popularity, Toyota has watched the segment grow—and it’s a segment it doesn’t compete in but would like to. Cooper Ericksen, Toyota Motor North America’s head of planning and strategy, told MotorTrend the automaker is building the truck. “Decisions have been made,” he said. “The question is when we can slot it in. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ at this point.”

 

[710-oil-614]

Cooper Ericksen, Toyota Motor North America’s head of planning and strategy, told MotorTrend in August 2025 that the automaker is building the truck. So the information is coming straight from Toyota and is not just speculation. I would say that's confirmation.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-toyota-small-pickup-what-we-know-future-cars

With the Maverick’s popularity, Toyota has watched the segment grow—and it’s a segment it doesn’t compete in but would like to. Cooper Ericksen, Toyota Motor North America’s head of planning and strategy, told MotorTrend the automaker is building the truck. “Decisions have been made,” he said. “The question is when we can slot it in. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ at this point.”

Thanks! That is what I was looking for.

 

[Huchipapa]

I know a lot of Ford fanboys will rejoice at this rumor of the Santa Cruz being cancelled.
But the Santa Cruz really isn't a bad vehicle, it's a very comfortable and capable truck and yes the looks are a little polarizing but there are other vehicles with questionable looks that sell well. The interior is really nice and kind of makes the Maverick interior feel like a cheap toy.

I think where Hyundai really missed the mark with the Santa Cruz is with fuel efficiency. People are looking for fuel efficient vehicles more than ever and the Santa Cruz gas mileage is no better than a midsize truck. Meanwhile the Maverick Ecoboost easily beats the SC in fuel efficiency and the Maverick Hybrid mpg rating destroys the SC's mpg rating. Most people looking for a small truck or any smaller vehicle are doing so, at least in part, for better fuel economy.

It was also quite a bit more expensive for the 2022 & 2023 model years but Ford has now raised the price substantially each year on the Maverick and now the cost of Hyundai and the Maverick aren't very far off.

Exactly everything you said. I consider the SC and Maverick similar but yet different vehicles for different types of people. The SC is more lifestyle, the Maverick more traditional. I not extremely fond of the SC's style, but it's not offensive. The build quality of the few SCs I've been in have been impeccable, but yet so has my Maverick. Where the SC lost my interest was their lack of a hybrid, and worse yet insistence on the upper trim levels only having the turbo.

 

[Gaidheal]

... (small truck needs good mileage imho)...

100%

Years back we had two "Rangers" - the Mazda versions. A B3000 then a B4000. They were awesome little trucks in every regard *EXCEPT* mileage. They were the thirstiest things I've owned this side of my '78 & '79 Broncos. Absolutely ridiculous fuel consumption.

Fast-forward to the pair of Mavericks in my driveway today, the mileage difference is astounding. All I'm missing is the 4x4 capability that I no longer need or even want, so its all good.

 

[Stevezilla]

I didn’t look can’t Cruz SOLEY because I wanted hybrid /good fuel economy. Hyundai has that capability in spades but never put it in Santa Cruz for unknown reasons (small truck needs good mileage imho).

if they had made a hybrid version of the Santa Cruz, I probably would have bought one. At the time, I didn't even know about the Maverick until I was researching the Santa Cruz. Ford was so focused on urban Millennials and Gen Z, they completely ignored Gen X.

 

[B2000]

I remember when Chrysler increased their 5 year/50,000 mile warranty to a 7-year/70,000-mile warranty in 1987.
I remember the commercials well with Lee Iacocca. As a matter of fact.. here's a little nostalgia.


Of course this YouTube video didn't help sales of the Hyundai Santa Cruze.
Skip to 15:00 for the part where the engine says that's it I'm done.🪦


Diagnosis, it seems they ended up with a hole in the block.
Good thing Hyundai offers a 10-year warranty.

All those videos and views and the guy doesn't know how to pronounce Hyundai. Pretty funny that it lunched the motor during the video though.

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