The segment eeks out moderate growth in 2017 as sales of new Honda Ridgeline already started declining in the second half of the year
Sales in the Pickup segment rose by 0.5% to 116,828 in the fourth quarter of 2017, while overall sales in 2017 rose by 0.9% to 452,335, a substantial climbdown for the hefty 26% growth rate the segment registered in 2016. However, things are looking up in 2018, with the imminent arrival of the eagerly-awaited Jeep Wrangler pickup and the return [Read more…]
The segment with the highest growth in 2016 registers its first quarterly loss in years
After barely growing in the first two quarters the Small Pickup segment shrank by 1% in the third quarter of 2017, a substantial climbdown for the hefty 26% growth rate the segment registered in 2016. Moreover, with the replacement for the Nissan Frontier, the eagerly-awaited Jeep Wrangler pickup and the return of the Ford Ranger still a while away, it is unlikely the segment will see a huge upturn anytime soon.
After finishing 2016 as the fastest growing segment, with a growth rate of 25.5%, things have slowed down considerably, resulting in a growth rate of only 2.4% over the first half of 2017. Moreover, rather than being evenly spread among all models, the remaining growth in the segment is being driven by one model only: the all-new Honda Ridgeline. With the replacement for the Nissan Frontier, the eagerly-awaited Jeep Wrangler pickup and the return of the Ford Ranger still a while away, it is unlikely the segment will see a huge upturn anytime soon.
The Small Pickup segment was the fastest growing segment in 2016 with a gain of 25.5%, but it has stabilized in the first quarter of 2017 with an improvement of just 2.6% to 98,668 sales. That still compares favorably against an overall market that’s slightly down, but the segment has clearly lost its mojo. And if we zoom in on the individual models, we see that all of the segment growth can be attributed to a single model: the all-new Honda Ridgeline, as all other players lose volume. Since Nissan still haven’t given any updates on the arrival of the next generation Frontier and the eagerly awaited Jeep Wrangler pickup is unlikely to make it to dealerships this year, the success of the segment depends on the return of the Ford Ranger later this year.
Sales in the Small Pickup segment grew by 25.5 percent in 2016, making it the second-fastest-growing segment, and significantly outpacing the 2.5 percent growth rate of the Large Pickup segment. Morevoer, there is much more scope for growth in the segment, a fact recognized by Honda when it decided to develop the second-generation Ridgeline that went on sale in 2016. Still, with 448,399 sales in 2016 the segment was only a fifth of the size of the Large Pickup segment, and remains smaller than it was a decade ago (sales in 2006 were 562,657). With the recent introduction of the Ridgeline and the heaviliy-modified-for-2016 Toyota Tacoma 2017 is unlikely to bring new metal, with Nissan taking its sweet time with the replacement for the Frontier and Jeep with the long-awaited pickup version of the Wrangler.
Sales in the small pickup segment grew by 40% in the third quarter of 2016, as a sign the segment resurrecting from being considered dead just a few years ago when it was abandoned by the Detroit 3. With one of them (GM) having returned two years ago and one of the other two planning to return within the next few years (Ford), the segment is looking more than healthy again. Year-to-date, the segment is up 24%, which means more than half of the growth in the first nine months of the year can be attributed to the third quarter. Each of the segment’s five models improves on last year’s Q3 and year-to-date volume, and all but one do so with double digits or better. That compares to a loss of 2% for the full-sized pickup truck segment in Q3.
Sales of Small Pickups in the US rose by 13% in Q2 2016 to 112,476 vehicles, after an 18% increase in Q1. Even then, total sales in this segment are less than a fifth of those in the Large Pickup segment, though the gap continues to narrow with manufacturers launching new entries to the segment after ignoring it for a number of years. Toyota has refreshed its Tacoma less than a year ago, GM re-entered the segment in 2014 with two models after abandoning small pickups in 2012 and Honda has just launched a new generation Ridgeline. The oldest model in the segment is the Nissan Frontier, which has been around virtually unchanged since 2004. While in other parts of the world the next generation Frontier (called NP300 and/or Navara) has already been introduced, Nissan USA has not revealed if and when that new pickup truck will make it Stateside. Of course, it’s not that hard to imagine the company first wants to lay its focus on a successful launch of the second generation Titan, a vehicle that should help Nissan establish a foothold in the highly profitable but Detroit-3 dominated full-sized pickup segment.
Sales of Small Pickups in the US rose by 18% in Q1 2016 to 96,168 vehicles, the highest quarterly sales figure for the segment since Q2 2008. Still, total sales in this segment are less than 20% of those in the Large Pickup segment, though the gap continues to narrow. What would help boost sales in this segment further would be the Ford Ranger, when (if?) the company brings it back to the US, the new Nissan Frontier, the long-mooted Jeep pickup and, if FCA takes a brave pill, the Fiat Toro.
The Small Pick-up segment has increased 48% in 2015 to 356,886 sales as three out of four models are less than 18 months old. In contrast, the fourth one is already 11 years old, and loses 15% of its volume. The new generation Nissan Frontier has already been launched in the rest of the world, but a US version of that model is still undecided, just like a Mercedes-Benz version of that model, which isn’t due until 2020 anyways. The Toyota Tacoma is the long-standing leader of the segment and still takes more than half of all small pick-up truck sales in the United States, although that’s down from a whopping 64% in 2014. The Tacoma’s 179,562 sales are just enough to break its 2006 sales record 178,351 units. [Read more…]
Honda introduced the second generation Ridgeline mid-sized pick-up truck at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which is launched at the perfect moment as the US mid-sized pick-up segment is booming thanks to the rebirth of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, the new generation Toyota Tacoma and hopefully later this year a new Nissan Frontier (a.k.a. Navara or NP300 in other parts of the world). That would mean all entrants in this segment, which appeared to have been forgotten just a few years ago, will be less than 3 years old by the end of this year. And then there are rumors that Ford may re-enter the segment with a new Ranger (and Bronco!) as well, so exciting times indeed.
The first generation Honda Ridgeline stood out from the crowd both technically and aesthetically and hasn’t really been a huge sales success in North America, peaking at 50.000 US sales in 2006 but quickly dropping to 10.000-18.000 annual sales. But Honda clearly thought that the odd exterior design with the high rear side-panels must have been one of the main stumbling blocks, as the brand has opted for a more straightforward design, not to call it plain dull in a time when the competition is putting some flair into their mid-sized trucks. [Read more…]