American consumers are on pace to buy and lease more new vehicles in 2014 than at any point since 2007, if not earlier. The seven largest automakers in the United States generate 77% of the market’s volume. For each of those seven, this chart breaks down the vehicle categories where their volume is created.
For Hyundai and Kia, this means 77% of their sales are generated by traditional passenger cars, and 37% of their own car volume with the Sonata and Optima. At Ford Motor Company, 30% of their U.S. volume is derived from pickup truck sales, the F-Series lineup. At the Chrysler Group, minivans are responsible do 14% of the load-lugging.
Select from the dropdown menu at the top left of the chart to cycle through the seven largest automakers.
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures.
Nice chart, very informative
Tim,
I don’t know what sort of capability your software has, but if you use stacked columns instead of a pie chart, you could show all the automakers at once, enabling easier analysis.
Regardless, I appreciate seeing the data.
Interesting, Japanese/Koreans most dependant on cars – The three American makes are each roughly 60% dependant on trucks/SUV/Crossovers.
After seeing Toyota flop with full-size trucks in the US what other Asian maker will ever bother?
I don’t know about “flop”. I drive a Tundra 5.7 by choice and will buy another one as a replacement for my current one, at the end of next year.
Maybe, just maybe, Toyota products including the Tundra just draw a different kind of clientèle than Ford, GM and RAM do.
I prefer to look at Tundra sales as a smaller segment of the pickup truck market consisting of the more-discerning pickup truck owners. Ditto with the Titan.
Absolutely, no criticism of the actual product intended. I am in awe of a neighbor’s Tundra; it exudes build quality in every nook and cranny. And I’ve snooped all through it. Even in (gakk) silver it is most desirable.
But that “different kind of clientèle” isn’t very willing to give Toyota trucks a chance. And so far the unarguable reliability of American trucks hasn’t forced them to.
None taken. People are funny in many ways, including brand-loyalty, like being wedded to Ford, GM and RAM brands for their pickup trucks.
If someone jumps aboard my Tundra for any reason they are also in awe of it, just like I was when I was driving my 2006 F150 and my 1988 Silverado. But the sticker price also blew me away.
I owned both a Silverado and an F150 simultaneously prior to buying my 2011 Tundra 5.7.
Sometimes it is not about giving another truck brand a chance. Sometimes it is just force of habit that keeps people buying the SSDD (same sh!t, different day).
I was so tired of constantly having to tool and wrench on my trucks, because I actually use them for work instead of just looking studly in them, that I was willing to Give Peace a Chance (in the form of trying the Tundra and Titan).
The rest is history. I’m smitten!
I think it comes from the fact that even though the Tundra is good, it’s not miles ahead of American trucks. Its fuel economy is worse to. There isn’t the compelling reason to dump your Silverado and buy a Tundra in the way there was to dump your Cavalier and buy a Corolla.
@MBella
Exactly how I see it. The Big 3 got pickups right and have kept at it. My personal Chevys gave me Toyota level reliability and my work trucks and vans did, too.
Except for those bleeping Ford sparkplugs in the 90’s
My main thought on the Tundra is, why would an Off-Road Package not come with a locking-diff, even as a separate option? Especially since so many of their other 4wd vehicles do, including some Lexi. I don’t get it.
Silver is my favorite color on most vehicles.
It hides dirt and paint wear & tear better than any other color, for the most part.
It’s also the easiest color to repair/restore/rematch when doing a nip and tuck here and there.
If you DO buy the truck to look studly in it, or even solely for hauling light but bulky stuff like motorbikes, the Tundra is way overkill, and just a pain, compared to the new coilsprung Rams with the 8 speed.
Not having an HD line, Toyota seems to have built the Tundra to be somewhere in between a nice riding half ton, and a 3/4 ton, like Ford does with their Heavy Duty packages on the F150s. Nice if you want an IFS HD truck without a snowplow stiff front end, but pretty harsh if what you’re looking for is a Cowboy Limo.
stuki, I agree, all pickup trucks are way overkill unless you actually put them work (which I do).
Most of the young kids on a budget who are DIY-ers and have two vehicles (not pickup trucks) usually tow a small utility trailer behind their daily commuter.
I have lent out all of my utility trailers to people in need at one time or another. In fact, my wife’s dad is currently towing my 9X15 dual axle Haulmark behind his Suburban, all over hell and back.
But for many who can only afford to maintain ONE vehicle in their household, and this includes illegal aliens in my area, there is no substitute for the four-door pickup truck, in any variant.
As I come to the end of my driving life, I want to buy something not as pragmatic as what I needed over the past decades vs what I really want: a four-door 4X4 2016 Tundra Limited 5.7.
For me, that’s the cat’s meow! Instead of the furball Ford and GM trucks I owned in the past.
At my age we don’t worry about looking studly. Although….. there is Viagra for those in need….
Driving a Japanese truck irritates certain people, and that’s a good thing.
It’s a mixed bag.. I have good friends who are to the right of Attila the Hun that swear by their Toyotas and Nissans.
I’ve been a Nippophile fuh thutty year and I’m sure you wouldn’t like me.
“I prefer to look at Tundra sales as a smaller segment of the pickup truck market consisting of the more-discerning pickup truck owners. Ditto with the Titan.”
I can see how a Tundra would be a good choice for people who need or want a full sized pickup, but would prefer not to own an American brand for whatever reason.
The Tundra, and all the current Detroit pickups for that matter, all seem to be decent products – they have different strengths and weaknesses, but it would be hard to fault anyone for choosing any of them. That said, I’m not sure that I would describe the Tundra buyer as more “discerning” though, since Toyota, Ford, GM, and RAM all make pretty decent trucks these days.
On the other hand, I think the Titan is for the *less* “discerning” buyer. It hasn’t been updated for a decade, and the fit and finish seems poor – the gap between the top of the bumper cap and the base of the grill in particular looks bad to me. While it may have been competitive when it was launched, I really don’t think it’s competitive with other full sized pickups today.
Ultimately, it is all about choice, and whatever works for the buyer. I already owned a 1988 Silverado 350 and a 2006 F150 5.4, simultaneously, and knew I didn’t want to go back there again.
What got my undivided attention was that in 2007 the Tundra brought to market several firsts, like that magnificent all-aluminum 32-valve DOHC 5.7L V8, that smooth-as-silk 6-speed automatic, those huge brakes at the four corners with floating calipers and that robust 10.5″ ring gear. That did it for me. It made all the others seem downright archaic.
There is no chance to make a second first impression but the other brands have incorporated many improvements and upgrades since then.
I am so pleased with my Tundra that when it came time for a new SUV for the wife, we bought a 2015 Sequoia Platinum 4X4 with, you guessed it, that same magnificent drive train.
My neighbor, college educated, lives in a 7-digit home in a desirable neighborhood. Three Toyota’s in the garage, one Tundra in the driveway. Tundra is gone as of last month, replaced by a Ram crew cab. Beautiful truck.
He drives fullsize truck because he can, I doubt it will (or the Toyota ever) hauled as much as a bag of mulch from Home Depot.
As far as pickups, it is a demographic phenomena.
Are you college educated, white collar and higher income? Then, you probably won’t buy a pickup truck, but if you did, you would likely visit a Toyota dealer.
Are you less educated, blue collar and lower income? Then, you may need a pickup truck, and that demographic is owned by Detroit. Blue collar people tend to either be union, and/or have friends and family that are union, and we all know what union people think of foreign cars. They would be shunned if they drove Toyota.
It is as simple as that.
jimmyy, I agree. Well said.
The purists may not like it, but you told it the way it is.
Toyota has a large lineup of CUVs and SUVs and is planning to add a couple of more CUVs.
Hyundai/Kia really need to increase supply of their CUVs and expand their CUV lineups.
“Dependent” on truck (or more closely SUV/crossover sales) is very relative.
Sales of fullsize SUVs that were so popular a decade ago like the Expedition, Tahoe, Suburban, Durango, are a fraction of what they were. Crossover and SUV is a very broad category that includes vehicles like the Toyota Venza, Buick Encore, Hyundai Tuscon, and the wildly popular segment leaders CR-V, RAV-4, Cherokee, and Equinox.
Only the ardent tree hugger will call these planet destroyers. With everything moving to turbocharged direct injection VVT 4-bangers, a spike in gas prices won’t have the same impact to sales. For Ram trucks, highway MPG has literally doubled from a decade ago. GM and Ford highway fuel economy on F-Series and GMT are up around 70%, city MPG for all are up around 40% to 50%.
It’s a different market. If you follow TTAC then you know that we reached a tipping point, the typical midsize car of choice by sales data is the….crossover. If anything, the dependency on car sales is more of a liability. Americans aren’t going to give up their fullsize trucks, and those who bought for vanity 10 years ago have a wide range of CUV/SUV to pick from now.
I’m assuming the Honda chart means 8% minivans but the little pointer isn’t pointing correctly?
Overall a very heartening chart for me. Sedans are now crap and CAFE is what done it.
I would say sedans have been crap for a really really long time, and people are starting to see it. I have a hard time understanding why anyone would buy a sedan. But, around here most families have traditionally had just one car so we have a tradition for choosing the most practical bodystyle, and they are also the ones with best resale value.
Zykotec,
Why do you have a hard time understanding why anyone would buy a sedan? What should they buy????
Hatch is good, Tall is better and a Tall Hatch is best of all. IOW, a CUV.
And, please, let’s all drop any pretense that ferocious handling capability or acceleration is a factor in 90% of vehicle sales.
A tall hatch would be best for me, and a tall hatch EV with batteries in the floor would give me the height, legroom, ease of entry and upright seating position I like, while keeping the center of gravity low enough to provide good handling and rollover-prevention.
Here’s hoping Model III comes out as a tall hatch.
Anything. In my opinion a Sedan is just an ugly coupe. It has no other use than driving 1-4 people to and from a location, with little or no luggage. No skis, no tools, no trash, not even much groceries.
They can work as a ‘Hooner’ cars because it’s more practical for building stereos, and because kids don’t want to appear pragmatic, or for people who are to old to lift anything anyway…
I’ve only owned a couple of sedans myself, because you usually get them very cheap used, since around here no one wants them, but when new, the price difference for a hatchback or wagon version is negligible.
PS, if you live somehwere where towing isn’t illegal, adding a tow hitch can redeem them somewhat.
Hmm, and yet when I look over at my fellow commuters, most are driving a sedan/coupe with 1 person and no luggage/gear etc. Sedans are perfectly suited to that, a pickup is ridiculous overkill. Even a CUV is too much metal for the mission most cars are involved in on a daily basis.
Everyone should drive what suits them and what makes them happy. Don’t drive what everyone else thinks you should, you’ll be miserable
“Everyone should drive what suits them and what makes them happy.”
I wanted to start singing Kum ba yah when I read that so I looked up the lyrics.
Holy crap, was it easy to be a songwriter in those days!
kum bay ya;
Someone’s driving the wrong car
kum bay ya;
Someone’s buying the wrong car
kum bay ya;
Someone’s unhappy tonight because they didn’t get the brown 5-speed diesel hybrid wagon
kum bay ya;
@Zykotec
My sentiments 100%. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of CUVs, but I would have one over a sedan any day.
lots of people use their sedan to drive back and forth to work. That’s what I do. Has plenty of room for my computer bag.
We have a mini van for all those other activities.
This website could use a theme song.
Conveniently enough, someone already went to the trouble of recording it:
’92 Subaru by Fountains of Wayne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hxy8yQvUmk
That’s it, they’ve to stop making video cameras accessible to just anyone
So much sedan hate. Totally unjustified, in my opinion.
I have a sedan and a CUV. The CUV is nice for carrying gear and bulky objects, loading the baby without stooping, and driving in the mountains. The sedan is far more comfortable for passengers, when I have them, and vastly more entertaining to drive.
I also very much like having cargo “out of sight, out of mind.” And out of smell range. You can’t do that in a CUV, at least not without putting on a cargo cover which serves as a screaming order to any thieves nearby to BREAK INTO MY CAR NOW!
My sedan will be replaced by a sedan and that sedan will most likely be replaced by another sedan. You sedan haters can just deal with it.
I thought you were looking at a Durango or MDX?
The Durango or MDX would be a replacement for my Forester XT if (and only if) my wife and I decide to invite another rug rat into the world. With one kid either one would be overkill.
But the car I drive most often is a sedan (my G8 GXP) and will remain a sedan.
I generally like sedans because I don’t have to hear cargo shifting when driving, I just about never carry long or tall items, they have a higher roofline and shorter doors than 2-door coupes, and the ride height is lower than a truck.
“I don’t have to hear cargo shifting when driving”
Aha! A trick comment!
You’d have to be able to *carry* cargo before it could shift on you.
Since we were speaking Limey earlier, you’re sussed, mate.
Haha. Well I do occasionally carry “cargo” like suitcases and grocery bags in my vehicles.
“I don’t have to hear cargo shifting when driving”
The only cargo I ever carried capable of shifting was the kids. Early manual transmission training. I’d push in the clutch and they’d shift. Now an adult, the eldest still drives a manual.
“I’d push in the clutch and they’d shift”
Ah, good dad, that’s what mine would do for me and that’s how he taught my mother how to drive when they were teenagers
Nothing ever shifts in the back of my wagon. Stretchy cargo net, cargo dividers, and an assortment of tie down rings and grocery bag holders.
Ah, the eternal mystery of what went “thunk” in the trunk
Some valid points. I wouldn’t choose a CUV over a large wagon, or a large hatchback sedan. But as mentioned before those two types of car are getting more and more rare, especially in the US ( I guess all your hatchback-sedans are CUV’s now)
I guess most people who buy a sedan either have another car too, or have one available close by.
PS; I’m not a hater of any sort of car. I’m a VAG -disliker at best, and I own a 94 Audi 100 sedan, that was ‘dumped’ on me.
I own sedans and CUVs. If I am driving from Boston to the NYC, or LA to San Diego, a sedan is perfect. Much easier to handle at higher speeds. Safer in a high speed maneuver. Less tired after a multi-hour drive.
And, am I going to the Home Depot? Or, am I taking a bike to the beach? Or am I tooling around town slowly? That is a CUV.
But, if you can’t afford to own both, then CUV is the choice.
Isn’t Nissan also one of America’s leading automakers?
We’ve added Nissan to reflect that fact.
Why would anyone pick a sedan? The per mile costs area little over half a full-sized pick-up. Naturally, there’s some wiggle room in these numbers. Compare a $25,000 mid-level optioned car and a $40,000 mid-level optioned truck. Trucks used to depreciate much more slowly than cars. That’s less true today.
I’m seeing an error, not a chart…
n iOS 7.1.2 I could choose whatever automaker I wanted, it flashed up there and returned to GM immediately. On my PC it’s all perfect.
Upgrade to iOS 8.0.2. I use it on all my Apple devices now, iPhones, iPad and iPad Air. A pain in the @ss to upgrade, and very time-consuming (7 hrs in one case for the iPad Air because of all the stuff I had to download from the cloud again), but IMO well worth it.
I would not go back to iOS 7-anything.
My next phone won’t be an i, and my old 4 can’t have 8. The pad has 8.0.2 though, but it doesn’t go to the daughters dance class with me.
I too have a iphone 4, so I identify with what you’re saying. I want a iphone 6, but don’t like the feeling I’m being forced into it. I also have a Samsung Android tablet for work, I prefer the Apple OS, just not the constant pressure to upgrade
You guys may want to look into a Samsung Galaxy S5.
My wife uses one for her personal phone, along with the iPhones for the real-estate business. Those older iPhones she gave to our grand daughters.
There’s a reason why Samsung and Android outsell Apple and iOS worldwide.
But I understand if you are so intertwined with iPhone and iOS that you can’t turn your back on them.
That’s why my wife still uses her old iPhone 5 too. However, I know she LOVES her Galaxy S5.
Cross referencing this data with the earlier story about efficiency/emissions really makes one wonder about the difference between Nissan and Honda, while explaining the FCA results there rather succinctly. Nissan is more car less truck than Honda, and still can’t match the efficiency. FCA is CUV and SUV dominated like no other mentioned automaker, so being last in CO2 emissions makes sense.
“For Hyundai and Kia, this means 77% of their sales are generated by traditional passenger cars…”
Given the market shift to trucks and SUVs, you wonder how long Hyundai / Kia can continue to grow with their current product mix?
It’s not only a limited CUV lineup, but supply is tight as to limited production facilities.
That planned new Kia plant in Mexico can come online fast enough.