2020 was a tough year, but truck makers fared better than most.
As the 2020 sales report figures roll in, we get a much clearer picture how this year truly shook out for truck manufacturers. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, sales obviously slowed compared to 2019. That said, as they picked up again through the summer and into the fall, trucks helped bring most automakers back from an abysmal start to the year.
That headline more or less mirrors what we saw in earlier quarters. With a couple notable exceptions, truck sales held steady or actually increased from the pervious year. The Jeep Gladiator, for example, performed substantially better than you might expect. As of January 5, we’re still waiting for results from Ford. That said, the F-Series will likely come out on top if the universal constant throughout the past several years holds true. Update 1/6/21: Actually, that didn’t happen. Combined, GM trucks actually outsold the Ford F-Series, though Ford’s trucks (if you look at it as a single model) outsold the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra’s individual sales figures. It will be an interesting fight, though, to see how the Ranger fared against the all-conquering Tacoma and the rising Gladiator.
Midsize truck sales: Full-year 2020
| Model | 2020 sales | 2019 sales | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Tacoma | 238,806 | 248,801 | -4.6% |
| GM (COMBINED)* | 121,428* | 155,129* | -21.7%* |
| Ford Ranger | 101,486 | 89,571 | +13.3% |
| Chevrolet Colorado | 96,238 | 122,304 | -21.3% |
| Jeep Gladiator | 77,542 | 40,047 | +94% |
| Nissan Frontier | 36,845 | 72,369 | -49.1% |
| Honda Ridgeline | 32,168 | 33,334 | -3.5% |
| GMC Canyon | 25,190 | 32,825 | -23.3% |
| TOTAL: | 608,275 | 639,251 | -4.8% |
Full-size truck sales: Full-year 2020
| Model | 2020 sales | 2019 sales | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM Trucks (COMBINED) | 847,010 | 817,923 | +3.6% |
| Ford F-Series | 787,422 | 896,526 | -12.2% |
| Chevrolet Silverado | 594,094 | 575,600 | +3.2% |
| Ram Trucks | 563,676 | 633,694 | -11.0% |
| -> Silverado 1500 | 436,281 | 438,686 | -0.5% |
| -> Silverado HD | 150,394 | 131,953 | +14.0% |
| -> Silverado MD (4500-6500) | 7,419 | 4,961 | +49.5% |
| GMC Sierra | 252,916 | 242,323 | +4.4% |
| -> Sierra 1500 | 179,139 | 172,452 | +3.9% |
| -> Sierra HD | 73,777 | 59,871 | +23.2% |
| Toyota Tundra | 109,203 | 111,673 | -2.2% |
| Nissan Titan | 26,439 | 31,514 | -16.1% |
| –TOTAL: | 2,333,750 | 2,491,330 | -6.3% |
Update: An earlier version of the full-size truck charts included the Ram brand numbers (including vans), rather than just pick-ups. That was a clerical error going over the charts. We apologize for the confusion.
Full-size SUV sales: Full-year 2020
| Model | 2020 sales | 2019 sales | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Tahoe | 88,238 | 101,189 | -12.8% |
| Ford Expedition | 77,838 | 86,422 | -9.9% |
| GMC Yukon | 63,440 | 74,673 | -15.0% |
| Dodge Durango | 57,828 | 67,599 | -14.0% |
| Chevrolet Suburban | 37,636 | 51,928 | -27.5% |
| Cadillac Escalade | 24,547 | 35,424 | -30.7% |
| Infiniti QX80 | 16,125 | 19,113 | -15.6% |
| Lincoln Navigator | 15,252 | 18,656 | -18.2% |
| Nissan Armada | 19,640 | 32,044 | -38.7% |
| Toyota Sequoia | 7,364 | 10,289 | -28.4% |
| Toyota Land Cruisers | 3,147 | 3,536 | -11.0% |
Update: An earlier version of this chart left off the GMC Yukon. Again, that was a clerical error. We apologize for any further confusion.
