When considering compact pickup trucks, the market offers few choices. The category revitalized with the introduction of Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz in late 2021, providing buyers seeking smaller trucks a new option besides Ford Ranger or Nissan Frontier.
Nevertheless, not all trucks are alike. A key indicator of a truck’s popularity lies in its sales figures. After over a year on the market, both Maverick and Santa Cruz have been selling remarkably well. However, year-end sales data from both automakers reveals that Ford Maverick has been outselling its direct rival by almost double in 2022.
via Hyundai
This week, Ford and Hyundai, along with other automakers, released their annual sales results. These reports not only reflect the financial performance of the companies but also disclose the sales figures of specific models. Ford’s data indicates that Maverick has significantly surpassed Santa Cruz in overall sales.
In 2022, Hyundai sold 36,480 units of Santa Cruz, an impressive figure for the revived market segment. However, Ford surpassed its competition by selling more than double the units, ending the year with 74,370 Maverick units delivered to customers. To put it in perspective, that’s a truck sold every seven minutes.
Although targeted at different consumers, Maverick, a versatile utility vehicle, and Santa Cruz, a lifestyle-themed crossover with a bed, share similarities and potentially appeal to the same buyers.
Not only has Santa Cruz lost sales to Maverick, but Ford’s Ranger also experienced a considerable decrease in sales in 2022, selling only 57,005 units compared to nearly 95,000 units in the previous year.
Maverick sales made up almost 11% of the total volume of F-Series in 2022. The high demand for the truck even led Ford to close its Maverick order books multiple times last year.
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