Full sized pickup trucks are the second best performing class in the US during the first three quarters of 2020. After struggling with inventory levels in Q2 due to production interruptions and continued strong demand, the Detroit Three automakers kept sales of their money makers stable in Q3 with a 1% loss compared to an overall market down 9.5%. That means large pickup trucks improved their share of the US car market to 16.1% so far this year, up nearly 2 percentage points.
Traditional leader Ford F-Series was the best performer in its class in Q3 with sales up 3%. Its year-to-date figure is still in negative and a 1.5 percentage points loss of share to 35.1%. Production of the all-new 14th generation F-Series started in October but even if all goes well with the launch, that model has come too late to bring a new annual sales record for Ford’s biggest cash cow. After reclaiming the #2 spot from the RAM Pickup in Q2, the Chevrolet Silverado was back in third place in the third quarter, but it still holds a slight advantage over the RAM in the year-to-date ranking. This looks like a tight battle for second place all the way to the final weeks of the year. Meanwhile, the GMC Sierra is the best performer of the class at +7% (+2% in Q3), while the Japanese players lose share. The Toyota Tundra was down 12% in Q3 and falls to 4.6% share and the Nissan Titan is the biggest loser in the class with a 24% loss, although its Q3 sales were down just 2% in a sign that the Titan has hit rock bottom.
US large pickup sales 2020 Q1-Q3
| Large Pickup segment | 2020 | 2019 | Change | Share | |
| 1 | Ford F-series | 589.034 | 662.574 | -11% | 35,1% |
| 2 | Chevrolet Silverado | 415.740 | 412.262 | 1% | 24,8% |
| 3 | Ram Pickup | 402.410 | 461.115 | -13% | 24,0% |
| 4 | GMC Sierra | 174.645 | 163.601 | 7% | 10,4% |
| 5 | Toyota Tundra | 76.814 | 86.062 | -11% | 4,6% |
| 6 | Nissan Titan | 19.403 | 25.412 | -24% | 1,2% |
| Segment total | 1.678.046 | 1.811.026 | -7% |
Source: Manufacturers.