New data from JATO Dynamics has shown that Americans have been buying pickup trucks at an increased rate throughout the 2010s.
This story by John Redfern originally appeared in Motoring Research.
This continued loyalty comes despite the substantial increase in the popularity of SUVs, plus the ever-growing prices of new pickup trucks, according to the research.
The statistical research, undertaken by JATO Dynamics, found that 13.1 percent of vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2010 were pickup trucks. Fast-forward to 2019, and the proportion has managed to increase to an impressive 16.8 percent.
In the same time period, the sales of hatchbacks have dropped from 7 percent to 4.8 percent, with sedans falling from 38.9 percent to 22.1 percent. SUVs have increased their market share from 27.3 percent to a huge 46.8 percent.
This trend demonstrates why auto makers like Ford are rapidly abandoning traditional cars, and instead focusing on selling trucks and SUVs.
Ford’s F-150 was the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. during the decade. The Blue Oval has found new homes for some 5.2 million units. That F-150 figure accounts for more vehicles than Subaru has sold from its entire range throughout the same period of 2010 to 2019.
Trucks now account for 18.2 percent of the Canadian new-vehicle market.
The enhanced proportion of truck buyers come despite the fact prices for new pickups have increased between 2010 and 2019. Whilst a base model truck had an average MSRP of $32,595 at the start of the decade, now buyers can expect to pay $44,039 for the same.
This 35.1 percent increase in average prices is more dramatic, when compared to the fact that average SUV prices have only been raised by 16.4 percent in the same timeframe.