The U.S. pickup truck market is dominated by domestic brands, mainly Ford, chevrolet, General Motors Corporation and Memory. The American brand benefits from a loyal buyer base and a 25% tax on imported trucks.
But the Toyota Tacoma shows how foreign automakers can find and dominate niches in this market.
Edmunds says the best-selling full-size pickup line is the Ford F-Series, especially the F-150, which is also the best-selling vehicle in the United States. GM and Ram pickup sales trail Ford, which also has the best-selling compact pickup, the Maverick.
But U.S. automakers’ commitment to small pickups has wavered, and Japanese automaker Toyota has been involved in the field since the 1970s. Toyota launched the Tacoma in 1995 as the successor to the Toyota pickup truck, known as the Hilux elsewhere in the world. at the same time, Ford Motor Co. discontinues Ranger after 2011 model year and then reintroduced in 2019. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon were withdrawn from the market in 2012 and reintroduced in 2014.
Toyota sold more than 237,000 Tacomas in the United States in 2023, far outpacing all midsize rivals. The second best-selling model was the Chevrolet Colorado, with sales of just under 72,000 units. The GMC Canyon, a slightly higher-end version of the same truck, added about 22,600 units to the American automaker’s sales.
Toyota’s careful attention to the needs of Tacoma owners is seen as part of the reason for the loyal market base and continued sales of the model. For example, about 40 percent of Tacoma owners take their trucks off-road at least once a month, so Toyota offers a variety of off-road packages for the truck.
What’s more, of the seven models in the midsize segment, the Tacoma is the only one with a long bed. It’s also one of two available as a two-door, and one of two available as a manual transmission. Toyota’s focus on quality, durability and reliability (QDR) also helps. Tacomas Has the highest residual value on the market.
But industry forecasters say the number of models in the segment will double in the next few years, to about 14 models in total. ? ), of which the mid-sized market is only a small part. This means that competition for the same customers will be fiercer in the near future.
Watch the video to learn more about how Tacoma maintains its leadership in the midsize truck market and how it meets the challenges of an expanding market.
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