First the SUV dethroned the sedan and now pickup trucks may do the same
Okay, our long time readers will know that I personally prefer sedans and coupes over all other vehicle body types and I was particularly sad when the SUV body type started taking over some 10 to 15 years ago. Well, apparently, the new generation of drivers now favours pickup trucks over SUVs. So, let’s see what is happening here.
Okay, so according to a recent study, SUVs still dominate the sales charts in North America but apparently some 36 percent of buyers in the non-luxury segment, a record high by the way, have shown interest in purchasing a pickup truck in the third quarter of 2023. This was reported by Cox Automotive.
Moreover, this same study also showed that most vehicle buyers in the U.S favour Toyota over all other manufacturers, and this marks the fifth consecutive quarter that the Japanese automaker retained its top spot while Chevrolet and Ford are slowly but surely climbing the rankings.
The same study shows that 66 percent of American buyers preferred and considered an SUV for their next vehicle, followed by pickup trucks with a record 36 percent interest while sedans and coupes fell in favour from 36 percent to 32 percent putting them in second last and minivans with a pathetic 5 percent rate of interest .
Full sized pickup trucks also amounted for 6 out of the top 10 overall spots in terms of most considered vehicles, namely the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 in the top spot, the Ford F-150 coming in second, the GMC Sierra 1500 in third, the Ram 1500 in fourth, the Ford F-Series coming in fifth and the Chevrolet Silverado 2500/3500 in eighth.
On top of that, midsized pickup trucks are also becoming increasingly popular thanks to the recent introduction of the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, and upcoming Toyota Tacoma. I find this interesting as sedans were on top for about 5 decades and SUVs only stayed on top for a decade. How long will pickup trucks wear the crown, if at all?
For those who were curious about the rest of the top 10 most considered spots, the overall top 10 was completed with a trio of SUVs, specifically, the Dodge Durango in fifth, Honda CR-V in seventh and Ford Explorer in ninth, plus two midsized sedans, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, both coming in ninth.
While Ram excelled in factors driving non-luxury consideration, occupying the top spot in driving comfort, driving performance, interior layout, exterior styling, prestige/sophistication, technology and ruggedness, the top three most important factors, durability, safety and affordability, were dominated by Honda, which also dominated in terms of fuel efficiency and reputation.
We got all this from Carscoops and their full article is linked here. Thank you Carscoops for the information and images.
