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PICKUP TRUCK SALES Q1 2020: CHEVY SILVERADO RECLAIMS 2ND PLACE OVER RAM

The Ford F-150 Is Still The Leader, But GM Sold More Trucks Overall

by Manoli Katakis April 2, 2020, 5:03 pm

Pickup truck sales observed by the Detroit Three automakers totaled 585,262 units in Q1 2020, up 8.5 percent from the 539,488 units sold in Q1 2019. This is in spite of the covid-19 pandemic that’s been ensnared the nation’s automotive market, halting traffic at dealerships, idling manufacturing facilities, and forcing mass layoffs and salaried cuts. Yet the truck market as a whole prevailed. Below, we’ve broken down the winners and losers.

General Motors: 233,656 Pickup Truck Sales

General Motors walked away from the Q1 coronavirus catastrophe relatively unscathed, although analysts suggest we’ll see a steeper drop in Q2, as this pandemic is expected to engulf the automotive market for a longer period of time in this period. Moving 233,656 trucks in Q1 2020, the Detroit automaker sold more trucks than any other automaker, by a lot. Meanwhile, the Silverado collectively outsold Ram Trucks by itself, reclaiming its second-place spot behind the Ford F-Series.

Chevrolet Silverado

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 had a huge improvement from a year ago, selling122,925 units, up 33.6 percent from 84,496 in 2019. Separately, the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD saw growth, up 4.2 percent with 30,773 pickup trucks sold, compared to 29,541 units a year ago. The Navistar-GM collaborated Chevrolet Silverado Medium Duty commercial truck line sold 1,036 units in Q1 2020, nearly triple from the 276 units that was observed in Q1 2019.

Chevrolet Colorado

Demand for the midsize Chevrolet Colorado pickup fell sharply, selling 21,430 units in Q1 2020, down 36 percent from the 33,494 units sold in Q1 2019. A similar drop was observed with its brother, the GMC Canyon.

GMC Sierra

Like the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, the 2020 GMC Sierra 1500 observed sharp gains in Q1 2020, up 27.3 percent from a year ago. Total numbers tally in at 39,841 Sierra 1500 sales, compared to 31,304 sales from a year ago. Sales of the GMC Sierra HD were up even higher. Total Sierra HD pickup truck sales observed were 13,168 sales, up 42.5 percent from the 9,242 sales observed in Q1 2019. In total, the GMC Sierra family accounted for 53,009 sales, up 24 percent from the 40,546 sales observed in Q1 2019.

GMC Canyon

GMC Canyon pickup truck sales accounted for the smallest amount of all American brand pickup trucks. Q1 2020 sales tallied a scant 4,483 units, down a steep 35.5 percent from the 6,954 units sold the same time a year ago.

Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles: 144,064 Pickup Truck Sales

Ram Trucks

128,805 sales, up seven percent from 120,026 sales observed the same time period a year ago. Ram doesn’t break up their numbers between the different variants of the truck, such as the Ram 1500 and the Ram 4500 chassis cab. So it’s hard to figure out just how well the half-ton truck is selling on its own.

Jeep Gladiator

In Q1 2019, the Jeep Gladiator was just launching, and tallied a mere 123 sales in that time period. That’s a stark contrast from the 15,259 sales observed in Q1 2020. Entry levels of the Gladiator have reportedly been struggling, with steep discounts on the hood of these variants. The top-shelf Gladiator Rubicon, however, remains a hot item.

Ford Motor Company: 209,258 Pickup Truck Sales

Ford pickup truck sales totaled 209,258 units, down 8.6 percent from the 227,325 units observed in Q1 2019. At this time, Ford does not break up the sales of its various F-Series trucks, which range from the F-150 breadwinner to the much larger F-450, but commercial medium duty trucks such as the titanic F-750 are counted as Heavy Duty Trucks. Separately, the Ford Ranger saw big sales gains.

Ford F-150 & Super Duty Trucks

Ford’s breadwinning lineup consisting of the F-150, F-250, F-350 and F-450 pickup trucks cam in at 186,562 total sales in Q1 2020, down 13.1 percent from the 214,611 units sold in Q1 2019

Heavy Duty Trucks

Ford commercial trucks accounted for 1,716 sales, down a steep 47.9 percent from the 3,293 units sold in Q1 2019.

Ford Ranger

The Ford Ranger pickup truck seems to be finding its footing, rocketing up 122.7 percent, at 20,980 total sales, compared to 9,421 units sold a year ago. It didn’t outsell the Chevrolet Colorado, but considering the sales losses observed by both GM midsize trucks, the Ranger could be the culprit.

Below is MC&T’s sales chart of American branded pickup truck sales through Q1 2020:

VEHICLE	Q1 2019 SALES	Q1 2020 SALES	CHANGE
Chevrolet Silverado	114,313	154,734	27%
GMC Sierra	40,546	53,009	+24%
Chevrolet Colorado	33,494	21,430	-36%
GMC Canyon	6,954	4,483	-35.5%
Ram Trucks	120,026	128,805	+7%
Jeep Gladiator	123	15,259	+12,305%
Ford F-Series	214,611	186,562	-13.1%
Ford Ranger	9,421	20,980	+122.7%

Written by Manoli Katakis

Muscle Cars & Trucks was founded by Manoli Katakis - an automotive media veteran that has been covering the latest car news since 2009. His journalism has uncovered dozens of major product changes, updates, plans, and cancellations long before automakers were ready to make things official.

Some highlights over the years of his reporting include the uncovering of the Zora trademark before anybody else reported on the coming of a mid-engine Corvette, as well as the dead-accurate reporting of the coming of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, two years before it hit the market, and even before the debut of the concept vehicle. This type of reporting has immediately continued here, with reports of the original seventh-generation Camaro plans being shelved, as well as what's in store for the Chevrolet Silverado.

Some of his work can be found on massive automotive media outlets, such as Motor1. He also has been a guest on the 910AM Radio Station with Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne, as well as the enthusiast-oriented Camaro Show podcast.

Over the years, Manoli has interviewed various automotive industry titans, leaders, and people that make things happen otherwise. These include figureheads such as GM CEO Mary Barra, GM President Mark Reuss, automotive aftermarket icon Ken Lingenfelter, Dodge firebrand Tim Kuniskis, along with various chief engineers of vehicles such as the Ford F-150 & Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro & Corvette, and many more.

At MC&T, Manoli is taking his journalism expertise, deeply planted sources, driving abilities, and automotive industry knowledge to new levels, covering more vehicles and brands than ever before. This is the place where you will continue to read groundbreaking stories about American performance vehicles, pickup trucks, and sport utility vehicles. Here is where you’ll also read insights and quotes from various automotive subject matter experts on the latest relevant products, as well as some of the latest official news from their manufacturers.

Fun facts: he also once beat Corvette Racing driver Tommy Milner in an autocross with a Chevrolet Bolt EV. The biggest vehicle he’s ever driven is a John Deere mining truck. Besides a go-kart, the smallest vehicle he’s driven has been a Hyundai i10. He’s also spent time in the cockpit of various American performance vehicle icons, including the fifth-generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, Dodge Challenger Demon, and Ford Mustang GT350R. He has reviewed dozens of trucks, SUVs, and performance vehicles over the years.

One of his favorite new vehicles on the market today happens to be the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison. He is also a card carrying member of the Sports Car Club of America, and regularly participates in Detroit Region autocross events.