Hyundai’s Made Some GREAT Strikes Over The Final Few Years, However THIS Was One Of The DUMBEST Issues. SOMEONE Ought to Get Fired For THIS MAJOR FLUB!

Hyundai has been on a tear recently, reinventing itself from the punchline of finances automobiles to a professional contender within the automotive world. They’ve nailed electrical automobiles with the Ioniq lineup, delivered fashionable SUVs just like the Tucson that mix efficiency and affordability, and even pushed boundaries with daring designs that flip heads. Credit score the place it is due: Hyundai’s aggressive innovation has boosted their market share and earned them respect from critics and customers alike. However amid all this progress, they’ve dedicated one colossal blunder that is costing them dearly within the small truck section – failing to beat Ford to the hybrid punch with the Santa Cruz.

Let’s rewind. Ford launched the Maverick in 2021 as a 2022 mannequin, full with a hybrid choice proper out of the gate. It was a masterstroke: reasonably priced, fuel-efficient, and completely timed for rising fuel costs and eco-conscious patrons. The Maverick’s hybrid powertrain delivered as much as 40 mpg within the metropolis, making it a no brainer for city dwellers and light-duty haulers. Gross sales exploded – in 2025 alone, Ford moved 155,051 Mavericks, with over 81,000 of these being hybrids. That is not simply success; that is domination.

In the meantime, Hyundai rolled out the Santa Cruz across the similar time, a unusual unibody truck with SUV-like consolation and a brief mattress. It had potential, sharing bones with the Tucson, however the place was the hybrid? Nowhere. Hyundai dragged their ft, solely asserting a hybrid variant for the 2026 mannequin 12 months, with releases trickling out in late 2025 or early 2026. By then, Ford had already locked out there. The outcome? Hyundai’s Santa Cruz gross sales tanked to a pathetic 25,499 models in 2025, down 29% from the prior 12 months, whereas Maverick outsold it six to 1. In July 2025, Ford offered 12,022 Mavericks in a single month – greater than half of Hyundai’s complete year-to-date Santa Cruz tally.

This wasn’t rocket science. The demand for hybrids in compact vehicles was apparent – gas financial savings, decrease emissions, and that inexperienced halo attraction. If Hyundai had prioritized a hybrid Santa Cruz from day one, leveraging their current Tucson hybrid tech, they may’ve owned the section. Think about: higher effectivity than the Maverick’s early fashions, Hyundai’s guarantee edge, and that signature styling. They’d be the gross sales chief, not the also-ran scraping for scraps. As a substitute, they’re taking part in catch-up, and experiences recommend they’re even contemplating ditching the Santa Cruz early to pivot to a much bigger truck.

Heads ought to roll over this. Whoever greenlit the gas-only launch whereas Ford hybridized from the beginning deserves the boot. Hyundai’s execs squandered a golden alternative, letting Ford lap them in a distinct segment they may’ve dominated. It isn’t simply dumb – it is a fireable offense that is hurting shareholders and model momentum. And now, Santa Cruz goes away…Get up, Hyundai: subsequent time, do not let innovation stall within the storage.