Jumpstart Automotive Media, a media, insights, and marketing solutions company, has released its February shopper interest data results, showing how much luxury-oriented consumers are now cross-shopping full-size pickups.
In February, the full-size pickup segment climbed four spots from last year and now represents the third most-shopped segment, the highest it’s ever been according to Jumpstart.
Helping fuel the interest in full-size pickups were the RAM 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500, which made their debuts at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this past January.
The fully redesigned RAM 1500 was up 172 percent in shopper interest from December to January and overtook Ford’s F-150 for the top spot in share among full-size pickups. The Chevrolet Silverado 1500, with a lighter body and now a diesel option, climbed 31 percent compared with January 2017.
The full-size pickup segment represented three of the top-five most-shopped models during January. In January, Ford Mustang finished first, RAM 1500 finished second, Ford F-150 finished third, Chevrolet Camaro finished fourth, and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 finished fifth.
One of the notable areas that drove this increase in trucks was from luxury shoppers. Luxury shoppers who were also looking at trucks (cross-shopping) were up by 22 percent from the previous month, while non-luxury shoppers only saw an increase of 11 percent.
“Luxury shoppers are willing to pay higher prices to get the latest technology and advanced features, and most trucks offer this in some of their higher packages,” said Aline Hilsabeck, senior director of insights and analytics at Jumpstart. “For example, the new RAM 1500 has a trim option that comes with a 12-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, all the blind spot monitoring and advanced safety features, and more. These are luxury features, so when you combine them with the size, functionality, and versatility of a large pickup truck with towing capability, the appeal is undeniable.”
