The redesigned 2022 Nissan Frontier more than doubled its sales in Q1 2022 when compared to the previous year. The Frontier is now the number two best-selling midsize pickup in America. It overtakes the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, and Jeep Gladiator to take the number two spot. Yes, the combined General Motors (Colorado + Canyon) sales are higher than the Frontier. As far as individual brand names are concerned, the Nissan Frontier holds a solid second place behind the sales-leading Toyota Tacoma. Here is what happened.
Big things are brewing in the midsize pickup truck segment. Component shortages continue to have a significant negative effect on the pickup truck manufacturing capacity. The Frontier is an all-new generation of the truck. It’s built at Nissan’s Canton Vehicle Assembly Plant in Mississippi, USA. 22,405 new Frontier pickups were delivered so far this year. On the other hand, the Ford Ranger had a very difficult quarter. The Ranger slid to the #5 sales position after it saw a sales decrease of -27.0%.
Mid-size Truck U.S. Sales: Q1 2022
| Model | Q1 2022 | Q1 2021 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Tacoma | 53,182 | 66,449 | -20.0% |
| – GM (COMBINED)* | 27,853* | 31,227* | -10.8% |
| Nissan Frontier | 22,405 | 10,780 | +107.8% |
| Chevy Colorado | 21,693 | 24,083 | -9.9% |
| Jeep Gladiator | 17,912 | 18,822 | -5% |
| Ford Ranger | 17,639 | 24,166 | -27.0% |
| Honda Ridgeline | 9,189 | 12,570 | -26.9% |
| GMC Canyon | 6,160 | 7,144 | -13.8% |
*Combined Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon pickup truck sales.
All other midsize pickup trucks declined in sales. The Toyota Tacoma notably decreased by -20.0% in Q1 2022. Tacoma still has a huge sales lead, but it cannot afford to continue losing sales in this way. The Chevy Colorado holds the #3 position. It’s followed by the Jeep Gladiator. Honda Ridgeline had a significant sales decrease, but it is still far ahead of the GMC Canyon numbers.
Compact Pickup U.S. Sales – Q1 2022
Here is what’s going on in the world of compact pickups. The Ford Maverick has an excellent sales quarter with 19,245 pickups being delivered in Q1 2022. For comparison, this is about 1,800 vehicles more than Ford Rangers sold over the same period.
| Model | Q1 2022 | Q1 2021 | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Maverick | 19,245 | n/a | new |
| Hyundai Santa Cruz | 8,400 | n/a | new |
The Maverick holds a large sales lead over the Santa Cruz, but the little Hyundai pickup is no slouch. The Santa Cruz sales numbers are approaching Honda Ridgeline sales. If this trend continues, Santa Cruz could possibly sell more pickups than Ridgeline.
