Midsized pickups keep their share of the overall US car market stable in the first three quarters of of 2021, as their 13% growth rate matches the overall market. In Q3, midsized pickup truck sales were down 13%, also on par with the market. The class still holds 4.1% of the total US car market with less than 487,000 deliveries. This is 3.4 times lower than full-sized pickups, as this remains a relatively small segment. 
The Toyota Tacoma remains untouched by recent new launches and even improves its share of the segment to a monstrous 41.2% thanks to sales up 23%. Its nearest rival loses share, as the Ford Ranger is down 2% while the Chevrolet Colorado is down 25% and is knocked off the segment podium by the Jeep Gladiator. The Gladiator is up 25% making it the best performer in the top-5. Best performer in the class is the Nissan Frontier, up 45% thanks to the new generation. The Frontier sold almost as well as the Colorado in Q3 and distances the Honda Ridgeline, which is no longer the only unibody midsized pickup truck in the class, itself up 34%. The Colorado’s sibling GMC Canyon loses share of the segment at +11% and remains a niche player at just over half the sales of its next rival.
We welcome two newcomers to the class, although they don’t necessarily belong in this class rather than being a class of their own. Both the Ford Maverick and the Hyundai Santa Cruz are a size smaller than the others in this segment and are based on a unibody platform like the Ridgeline. At least the Maverick still looks like an old school truck, the Santa Cruz is obviously a crossover with a pickup bed, like the Subaru Baja from the early 2000’s and of some of the South American compact and subcompact unibody pickups. We expect the Ford to be able to easily outsell the Hyundai as soon as both reach their full availability.
US midsized pickup sales 2021 – Q1-Q3
| Midsized Pickup segment | 2021 – Q1-Q3 | 2020 – Q1-Q3 | Change | 2021 Share | 2020 Share | |
| 1 | Toyota Tacoma | 200.631 | 163.619 | 23% | 41,2% | 38,1% |
| 2 | Ford Ranger | 72.706 | 74.338 | -2% | 14,9% | 17,3% |
| 3 | Jeep Gladiator | 71.458 | 56.990 | 25% | 14,7% | 13,3% |
| 4 | Chevrolet Colorado | 51.555 | 68.529 | -25% | 10,6% | 16,0% |
| 5 | Nissan Frontier | 38.059 | 26.287 | 45% | 7,8% | 6,1% |
| 6 | Honda Ridgeline | 30.872 | 23.112 | 34% | 6,3% | 5,4% |
| 7 | GMC Canyon | 17.970 | 16.183 | 11% | 3,7% | 3,8% |
| 8 | Hyundai Santa Cruz | 2.993 | 0 | New | 0,6% | 0,0% |
| 9 | Ford Maverick | 506 | 0 | New | 0,1% | 0,0% |
| Segment total | 486.750 | 429.058 | 13% |
Source: Manufacturers.