Toyota dominates or at least strongly contends in most new car segments across the globe, but there’s one lucrative market in the US it’s yet to dip its toe in.
Currently there are just two offerings in the US ‘compact pickup’ market, the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz – both based on the underpinnings of SUVs in the Escape and Santa Fe, respectively.
While they’re not able to carry the same loads or tow as much as the more popular ‘mid-size’ pickups such as the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger, they’re better suited to around-town and highway driving, with more of a focus on lifestyle buyers rather than tradespeople.
Toyota has been coy about whether it’ll enter the market which last year recorded approximately 180,000 sales in the US alone, but now its North American chief operating officer, Mark Templin, has told Automotive News it’s bound to happen – at the right time.
“We invented the compact truck. It’s a really intriguing segment for us, but the whole segment right now is 160,000 to 170,000 [annual sales in the US],” Templin said.
When asked if Toyota could launch a compact pickup to challenge the Maverick, Templin said dealers and buyers must “be patient”.
“When the market’s right, we may have something.”
His comments come after Toyota Motor North America’s head of planning and strategy, Cooper Ericksen, last year all but confirmed the brand will take on the car-based Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz with its own offering.
“Decisions have been made. The question is when we can slot it in. It’s not a matter of ‘if’ at this point.”
Toyota RAV4-based ute locked in to take on Ford, Hyundai rivals
While it might seem like a no-brainer to enter such a small segment, last month Automotive News reported insiders had said the Santa Cruz will leave production ahead of schedule, having originally been due to wrap up in the second quarter of 2027.
It was the first of the two car-based utes on the market in the US, but it has been far less successful than the Maverick. In 2025, more than 155,000 Mavericks were sold in the US, compared to just under 25,500 examples of the Santa Cruz, giving the Ford a six-to-one sales advantage over the Hyundai.
Toyota’s smaller ute – to sit below the HiLux-sized Tacoma and full-size Tundra – will reportedly be based on one of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platforms.
It has been rumoured the Toyota RAV4 will form the basis of the new ute, which could give it a choice of front- and all-wheel drive options across its traditional hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
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