These are not normal times for America’s pickup truck market.
The best-selling pickup truck line, Ford’s F-Series, is now entering a transition phase many months after potential customers first witnessed its aluminum-intensive replacement.
Toyota, long a minor player in the full-size category, refreshed its Tundra and continues to achieve notable sales increases, though with gradually less impressive growth figures.
GM’s twins last combined to outsell the Ford F-Series in 2009. They should still seem fresh, but to many the redesign wasn’t, in visual terms, sufficiently differentiated from the GMT900 models. Through the first seven months of 2014, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trail the Ford F-Series by 35,610 units.
|
Truck
|
July
2014
Share
|
July
2013
Share
|
7 mos.
2014
Share
|
7 mos.
2013
Share
|
|
Ford F-Series
|
37.2% | 37.4% | 37.7% | 39.3% |
|
Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra
|
35.1% | 36.3% | 34.6% | 35.7% |
|
Ram P/U
|
21.0% | 19.4% | 21.0% | 18.5% |
|
Toyota Tundra
|
6.1% | 6.1% | 6.0% | 5.6% |
|
Nissan Titan
|
0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.9% |
|
—
|
— | — | — | — |
|
Full-Size Share Of
Total Pickup Truck Market
|
89.3% | 87.5% | 89.1% | 87.2% |
|
Full-Size Pickup Share
Of Total Industry
|
11.8% | 12.3% | 11.8% | 11.9% |
Ram has placed a six-cylinder diesel in their 1500-series lineup alongside a naturally-aspirated six-cylinder which generates more than 300 horsepower.
There are currently only three non-full-size pickups available: Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier, Honda Ridgeline.
The Tacoma is America’s fourth-best-selling pickup nameplate, yet despite the dearth of competition Tacoma sales are down 7% this year and it accounts for just 6.9% of all pickups sold, down from 7.6% during the first seven months of 2013. The forthcoming arrival of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, will presumably alter the field on which the Tacoma and Frontier have been farming.
This isn’t 2005, when American Honda reported its first 42,000 Ridgeline sales; when Isuzu began selling its i-Series pickups and Mitsubishi its Raider; when Lincoln sold more than 10,000 Mark LTs; when Subaru marketed the Baja and GM sold the retractable hardtop Chevrolet SSR. (When, incidentally Subaru and GM were ending their bizarre relationship.)
Not unpredictably, Ford has seen its F-Series lose market share in 2014. Year-over-year, GM’s share of the full-size pickup segment slid from 36.3% to 35.1% in July 2014; GM’s year-to-date share has decreased by more than a percentage point.
Ram is the clear beneficiary, rising from 19.4% in July 2013 to 21% in July 2014; increasing its year-to-date tally from 18.5% during the first seven months of 2013 to 21% in the same period this year.
The Ram pickup range has increased its volume by 37,848 units over the first seven months of 2014 in a category that has only grown by 47,934 units.
Reported sales of full-size pickup trucks are growing, but not quite at the pace of the overall auto market. These six truck nameplates generated 123 out of every 1000 new vehicle sales in July 2013, but that figure fell to 118/1000 in July 2014.
The times are not normal; neither are they extraordinary. Think back again to the valley through which the automobile industry was passing in 2009, when the Silverado/Sierra last generated greater U.S. sales volume than the F-Series. In the whole calendar year GM reported barely more than 428,000 sales. Ford has sold more than 429,000 F-Series pickups already this year.
|
Truck
|
July
2014
|
July
2013
|
%
Change
|
7 mos.
2014
|
7 mos.
2013
|
%
Change
|
|
Ford F-Series
|
63,240 | 60,449 | 4.6% | 429,065 | 427,935 | 0.3% |
|
Chevrolet Silverado
|
42,097 | 42,080 | 0.1% | 282,776 | 284,666 | -0.7% |
|
Ram P/U
|
35,621 | 31,314 | 13.8% | 239,481 | 201,633 | 18.8% |
|
GMC Sierra
|
17,488 | 16,582 | 5.5% | 110,679 | 104,215 | 6.2% |
|
Toyota Tundra
|
10,312 | 9,820 | 5.0% | 68,299 | 61,385 | 11.3% |
|
Nissan Titan
|
1,072 | 1,168 | -8.2% | 7,488 | 10,020 | -25.3% |
|
—
|
—
|
— | — | — | — | — |
|
Total
|
169,830 | 161,413 | 5.2% | 1,137,788 | 1,089,854 | 4.4% |
Interesting that the Sierra is posting solid gains after the redesign but the Silverado isn’t. Maybe going conservative works for GMC buyers but not for Chevy buyers?
The Silverado needs a body colored grille option because that chrome looks hideous. The last generation Z71 LTZ with the body colored bits was a great looking truck. That truck in the picture make me throw up in my mouth a little bit.
Anyway, as for these numbers, it’s going to get worse for GM once the new F-150 hits the road. Combined with the great deals on current generation F-150s that’ll still be selling like crazy, GM has a lot to worry about.
The base Silverado is at least tolerable. Monochromed. Just give me a V8, power group, and I’m good. Must be in black though.
myrtlebeachchevroletcadillac.com/assets/global/DS3/1089/3GCPCPEH9EG297415-1.jpg
Exactly correct. The GMC grill and headlights are much nicer than the Chevy front end.
How GM Managment thinks:
Let’s increase GMC sales.
OK
How do we do that?
We could make the Chevies ugly.
Yes.
Believe it or not, I like the Chevy version better. I kinda want that front end on a full size sedan.
I can’t think of a time the GMC truck did not look better than the Chevy.
All these trucks look like they were designed by Tonka–cartoon versions of a real truck.
Is there a real reason to separate the GMC and Chevy numbers so readers have to add them back together? I ask out of ignorance, not because I’m saying it’s wrong. I want to know why?
@05lgt – GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado are considered separate products from different companies. GMC (note the “C”)and Chevrolet are both companies under General Motors.
Think of it this way – The USA has 50 states under the republic of the United States. What one state does affects the overall well being of the whole but still is a separate entity.
The GMT900’s were considered by many as the low point in Chevy truck history. The Sierra is a logical evolution of the GMT900 where its bold features were enhanced. The Silverado was an attempt at blending 1978 with 2009.
My mood combined with trim determines which sibling I like better. I currently am in the mood to favour the looks of the Chevrolet.
Lou I’m not sure you know what a 1978 Chevy PU looks like. They used the stacked headlights in the 80’s. I own an ’04 Sierra and ’07 Tahoe. The interiors alone are light years better in the 900s than the 800’s. Absolutely no comparison. Try shutting the doors on both trucks.
…The GMT900′s were considered by many as the low point in Chevy truck history…
WHAT?!?!?
No way were the 900s the low point. I had an ’02 Tahoe. The interior is light years better on the 900s and they feel SO much more solid than their predecessors. Not to mention they were more powerful and efficient. The interior on my Tahoe was a carryover from the 1980s.,
In order to save time; I’ll bring up the talking points usually discussed here: MOPAR Hemi! Moooar Power!; Ford sucks, Ford drivers suck, and Ford employees suck; My tundra is made of pure billeted unobtanium and will voted by all as the best vehicle ever produced on the planet; Egoboost! Ha!Ha! They’ll blow up before they reach 6000 miles; It must be brown, diesel, manual transmision, and cost less than 12000 USD; I want to buy a new version of a Chevy Luv/Ford Courier, regardless of emission and safety standards; My GM truck can get 67 MPG with my special tune-up; I just want a truck to A. haul icky things because I’m too stupid to buy a rubbermaid container to put icky things in to haul B. I’m too cheap to pay a delivery fee; why back in the the day they delivered stuff and spread it out on my driveway or flowerbeds while I stood there and drank coffee; and in closing: they’re just too goshdarn big! Did I forget anyone? Next slide please.
You left off how awesome the Titan and Ridgeline is, and the Ridgeline is a real truck dammnit, it isn’t a minivan because minivans don’t get ladder frames – it’s a real truck – it’s an awesome truck – it’s totally most awesome – and how Subaru needs to bring back the Baja.
Don’t tell anyone…but if they still had the Baja, I would be interested. It’s probably still more truck than I would use.
This all makes me so glad I really don’t like trucks…
Is TTAC going to cover the Ford Superduty test mule that immolated itself in Death Valley?
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2014/08/04/fire-reveals-secret-prototype-ford-truck/&ss=fb&rt=Fire+reveals+prototype+Ford+truck?intcmp=obnetwork
Yes, as soon as special correspondent Z71_Silvy puts the finishing touches on his exposé “Ford Superduty… Modern day Pinto?”.
Anyone complaining about the Ranger not coming… the Tacoma numbers are sobering.
Anyway, we’ll see how that segment shapes up when Chevy releases the Colorado… which, from the shots I’ve seen and the dimensions available online, is actually bigger than the not-small T6 Ranger.
Ergo… America ain’t gonna get new small trucks soon.
–
I would totally rock a Baja. I would cut up a dozen wretched Impreza sedans to make a Baja. Then I’d paint it brown, and give it a diesel and a stick.
We’re not going to see a truly small truck back in the US unless FCA brings in the Strada. And if they do, there’s going to be a lot of whining and gnashing of teeth.
And the people who would be whining the loudest will be the Ram dealers who get told that they have to stock it. The people who will be gnashing their teeth will be the sales managers of said dealers who will be given an unrealistic sales goal for them, likely tied to their ability to get the trucks that people will actually buy and buy loaded for maximum profit.
So you say, Scoutdude. I happen to believe differently.
Who else would have a reason to whine? Certainly not the people on the internet who claim that they want a compact truck but have never bought a new one. Oh right they will complain that it is too cramped and doesn’t have enough payload and buy a used truck and likely a full size one just like you admit to doing.
If there really was demand for a compact pickup the sales numbers would not have declined every year for more than a decade.
Who else would have reason to whine? How about all those who insist there is no market for such? As you say, “Certainly not the people on the internet who claim that they want a compact truck…” Like me? “… but have never bought a new one.” Nope, not like me. I have bought a new one–when they were available.
“If there really was demand for a compact pickup the sales numbers would not have declined every year for more than a decade.”
Well, since there haven’t been any COMPACT pickup trucks available for over two decades, I can see why sales have fallen off. The Tacoma and the Frontier are NOT compacts, though admittedly they’re smaller than the current full sized trucks. However, the Tacoma and Frontier are also Japanese–and the reason the S-10, Ranger and Dakota took off originally was because they were American brands. And based on published specifications, the Colorado won’t be noticeably smaller than my own 1990 full-sized truck.
Ram has the most impressive increases, bust 20% market share and barely gets mentioned but Toyota has a minuscule increase and gets mentioned?
I see two whole paragraphs (at least) mentioning Ram’s, do you need new glasses?
I saw a Ram EcoDiesel Laramie Limited 4X4 crew cab on the lot over the weekend….fully loaded, up here in the Great White North. The sticker was a few dollars under $70K….$70K!!! Before taxes!
I wonder how many of them will sell at that price….
Well…let’s think…Ram Truck, or Hellcat…hmmmm…