- Hyundai had a stellar first half of the year as sales were up 10% to hit a new record.
- The Tucson, Elantra, and Santa Fe have all seen significant gains this year.
- Customers have turned their backs on the Santa Cruz, which is down 21% for the year.
The average transaction price of a new vehicle hit $48,799 in May, so what if I told you there’s a truck that starts at $28,750. On top of that, it rides a little better than the Maverick and doesn’t feel like it was designed by penny pinching accountants. That sounds fantastic, but things haven’t turned out great as we’re talking about the Hyundai Santa Cruz.
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June sales plummeted 31% to 2,048 units, which was the biggest decline among all Hyundai models excluding the hydrogen-powered Nexo. This, unfortunately, wasn’t a fluke as year-to-date sales are down 21% to 14,221 units.
More: 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Is A Jock On The Outside, More Nerdy Inside
This stands in stark contrast to the Ford Maverick, which begins at $28,145 and celebrated an “all-time-best quarter.” Q2 sales were up 26.3%, which makes the Santa Cruz’s 21% decline in the second quarter even more depressing. Maverick sales are also up 11.6% year-to-date, to 86,056 units, meaning Ford is outselling Hyundai by roughly six to one.
There are a number of explanations for this, but the big one is likely the Maverick’s hybrid powertrain. The truck comes standard with a hybridized 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces 191 hp (142 kW / 194 PS) and enables the model to return up to 42 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, and 38 mpg combined. Those are amazing numbers and the hybrid powertrain can be paired with all-wheel drive for 2025.
The Santa Cruz also comes with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine producing 191 hp (142 kW / 194 PS), but it lacks hybrid technology. As a result, it has a far less impressive fuel economy rating of up to 22 mpg city, 30 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined.
Putting the Santa Cruz aside, the top sellers last month were the Tucson, Elantra, and Santa Fe. EV sales tumbled as the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 were down 16% and 23%, respectively. However, the Ioniq 9 seems to be finding its footing as it outsold the Ioniq 6 with 711 takers.
In total, Hyundai’s U.S. sales climbed 3% last month to 69,702 units. The company is also up 10% year-to-date and posted their “best-ever first half sales results.”
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Hyundai US Sales
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