General Motors took a gamble when it reintroduced America to the small midsize pickup truck with the launch of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins just eight months ago. Critics hummed and hawed about how the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier dominated the marketplace, and/or how consumers could get a whole lot more truck for not a whole lot more money, should they just select from the full size truck segment.
Now, thanks to GM’s greater-than-expected sales performances, those skeptics have been silenced. “It has far exceeded expectations,” Jessica Rogers, manager-marketing and advertising for the Colorado, told Ward’s Auto.
Colorado, the volume seller of the pair, is the fastest-selling truck in the U.S. and spends just 18 days on lot. “Dealers will take every one they can get,” said Rogers.
GM has delivered 75,992 Colorado and Canyon pickups this year, roughly 9,500 per month, as production at Wentzville, MO kicks into full force. While Tacoma sales through August (122,064) easily out muscle the Canyon/Colorado, GM has stolen market share from longtime segment leaders and has given automakers like Ford pause as to whether they should reintroduce a midsize truck of their own.
Consider this: the GM twins combined for 32.4 percent of the midsize pickup truck market at the end of August. Wind back the clock a year and that number sat around zero. Though Toyota’s market share (55.2 percent) has remained steady since the start of the year, its share has tumbled since 2014 and 2013, when it swallowed up 61.1 percent and 65.1 percent of the market, respectively. It’s a similar story at Nissan, too. Where the Frontier owned 25.7 percent of the market in 2013 and 29.3 percent in 2014, this year it’s dropped to just 17.7 percent.
The pickups also keep GM fans in the family, and attract owners of like-branded vehicles at a rate around 43 percent. Some buyers step from a fullsize into the midsizer, but GM says its not enough to dent fullsize sales.
Colorado also grabs 45 percent of its non-Chevrolet customers from the F-150, followed by the Tacoma. Judging by those numbers, its not surprising rumors are swirling Ford will reintroduce the Ranger.
Comments
Does this sentence make sense?
“Critics hummed and hawed about how the larger Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier dominated the marketplace and how consumers could get a whole lot more truck for not a whole lot more money”
Is it supposed to read Silverado and Sierra?
Thanks for noticing. We hope the revision makes more sense.
The midsized twins success is unexpected considering it’s their first year back on the market. No doubt GM is pleased but had they had a little more confident in their success GM would have planned for higher volume and not be struggling to keep up with demand.
All in all a great ‘problem’ to have.
I am not surprised by demand as there is a large segment of people who like myself want a truck but do not want the full size.
The initial start is not shocking. Now the key is to continue the growth and demand with new models more than just paint and sticker packages.
I would like to see a ZQ8 and I expect a ZR2 like package at some point.
GM would not have made more trucks as this was a slow star like they so with all new models anymore. This is just part of the quality control. Other models like the Cruze where introduces with minor changes overseas about year before we got them to solve any start up issues.
Completely agree with needing to keep the momentum going and the need for more variants.
Along with a ZQ8 and ZR2 I would love to see a modern interpretation of the GMC Syclone.
Poach the 3.6TT from Cadillac or the 5.3V8 from the Sierra lowered with suspension/chassis mods racy interior and you would have another success.
There wouldn’t be another truck like it.
The good thing is, is that Toyota didn’t bring a lot to the table with their 2016 Tacoma. Toyota has it’s name, Tacoma is synonymous at being a great midsize truck. But it went from being great to just being the best of the worst. The new GM midsizers have displaced it’s crown and it”s a matter of time before their sales catch up and surpass it. They need to be on point with mid-cycle refreshes like they’ve been with the full size market and stay out in front with features, design, and capabilities.
Introduction of new trims (ahem, ZR2), and keep pumping out the limited appearance packages. They should introduce the new 1.6T, offer up with 220hp and 220lb-ft as the base engine. Get that torque on tap nice and low in the rev-band
Would like the ZQ8 package as well. Would it be wrong to ask for a regular cab to make vehicle a little shorter? Just asking.
I would like to see the 4.3 instead of the 3.6 in this truck also I drove the new colorado 3.6 and was disappointed 3200lb boat pkg. and 4 people it was always reving and seemed stressed.Now the new 4.3 in the Silverado was so much quieter way more torque. This truck needs a truck motor not a car motor that needs 6500 rpm to move. I”d bet it would be as good or better on fuel with afm cost less to build and cheaper and will fit maybe even lighter..l