Hyundai Santa Cruz Won’t Get Second Generation, Report Claims
The Hyundai Santa Cruz, a small pickup that is no longer imported into Canada due to tariffs on vehicles coming from the U.S., will be retired at the end of its first and only generation. In other words, it will not be renewed and will never gain a hybrid powertrain.
That’s what Automotive News is reporting on Thursday based on sources familiar with the Korean manufacturer's plans.
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Launched as a 2022 model alongside the Tucson compact SUV from which it is derived, this "Sport Adventure Vehicle" (as Hyundai prefers to call it) received a mid-cycle update for 2025. However, it currently sells six times less in the U.S. than its lone direct rival, the cheaper Ford Maverick, with dealers having nearly five months’ worth in stock.
The gap is even wider on this side of the border in part due to imports that were suspended a few months after the start of the trade war between Washington and Ottawa in April 2025. The Santa Cruz is also one of the lowest-rated vehicles according to our team at The Car Guide.
The report claims that the Montgomery, Alabama plant will build fewer Santa Cruz units starting this quarter. Furthermore, it appears that production, which was scheduled to continue until mid-2027, will end sooner. Hyundai has not yet provided an official confirmation, mind you.
As announced last September in its medium- and long-term growth plan, the company intends to launch a first midsize pickup in North America before the end of the decade. It will not be a unibody pickup such as the Honda Ridgeline, but rather a body-on-frame truck similar to the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado.
Look for a more robust, more spacious and more capable vehicle than the Santa Cruz, with improved towing and off-road capabilities, appealing to a wider range of potential customers. An SUV variant could follow to compete with the Toyota 4Runner and the future Nissan Xterra.
Production will obviously take place in the U.S. due to tariffs. It remains to be seen what Hyundai's strategy will be for Canada.
