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Ford has a sales hit on its hands with the new 2022 Maverick. According to new sales figures, Ford sold 19,246 Mavericks in the first quarter of 2022, including 8,695 in March. Hyundai Santa Cruz sales figures, too, were strong. Hyundia sold 8,400 Santa Cruzes in the entire quarter, and just 2,950 in March, according to sales figures released this month. This is a pattern that Hyundai is probably trying to reverse.

Ford Maverick sales dusted Santa Cruz in 2021, too. Both compact unibody trucks are the darlings of comparison tests because they’re both so similar. They’re both five-seater, small, fashionable, trucks that 80% of what a large truck does while getting exceptional gas mileage and look good doing it.

The Maverick is Ford’s top small truck (sorry, Ranger)

The 2022 Ford Maverick is a new, compact truck.
Ford Maverick | Ford

At more than 19,000 units sold, the Maverick is a stunner compared most other Fords. Of course the company sold an astonishing amount of F-Series of pickups; 140,701 in just the first quarter. The company said it sold 23,573 Broncos, too.

The Maverick has made a case of being a being a better small pickup than the Ranger, and it looks like consumers agree. Ford only sold 17,639 Rangers. The growth numbers, though, tell part of the story. Year-over-year, the Ranger was down 27%.

Ford said that 46.75 of the Mavericks sold were the company’s Hybrid version, which can get 42 mpg in the city.

Fun fact, the company reported selling 36 Ford GT supercars during the quarter. That car was discontinued.

Hyundai proves consumers want a small city truck with Santa Cruz sales

2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited in Blue Stone parked in front of a shop on Irving Street
2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz | Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai said it sold 8,400 Santa Cruzes in the first quarter, and 2,950 small trucks in March. That’s a lot of Santa Cruz sales. It’s the fifth-most-popular model in the lineup. Hyundai’s SUVs, including the Palisade and Santa Fe dominated the sales. Maybe Hyundai needs to add a gas-sipping hybrid to its Santa Cruz?

Regardless, Hyundai is proving that consumers are eager for a small, capable, fun truck. It sold more Santa Cruzes than its Venue, which plays in the super popular compact SUV sandbox.

Fun fact: Hyundai reported it sold 166 Nexo cars. The Nexo is the company’s unique fuel cell vehicle, which say an increase of 113% year-over-year.

Both companies saw sales gains, but in different ways

Hyundai reporter that overall, it’s Tucson SUV saw a 37% increase in sales, and the Palisade saw growth of 17%. Hyundai has announced a new Palisade is coming, and that may tank sales of the SUV during the rest of the year as folks wait for an updated model. Overall Hyundai’s sales were up 9%, and a lot of that was because of Santa Cruz sales.

Ford is now keeping track of its electrified vehicles as well as truck and SUV categories. While trucks were down 34.4% for March, and SUVs were down 16.2%, its sales total sales of electrified vehicles were up 16.9%.

Related: 2022 Ford Maverick vs. Hyundai Santa Cruz: Spec Battle

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.