Fiat-Chrysler’s Ram division got the jump on General Motors when it launched the redesigned 2019 Ram 1500 earlier this year. It appears its launch strategy has paid off because the truck has outsold the Chevrolet Silverado for the past two months.
In sales data obtained by Bloomberg and published Thursday, the new Ram found just under 50,000 driveways to call home in August. That same month, dealers sold only 41,800 Chevrolet Silverado models. In September, Ram’s lead shrunk by a few hundred trucks as the FCA division sold 51,900 trucks compared to 44,800 Silverado.
But, the Silverado’s sales slump may be calculated. General Motors has been carefully managing inventory levels as the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado begins entering production. The first handful of new Silverados reached dealers in August and more continue to funnel into dealers across the U.S. In the meantime, GM has restricted incentives on 2018 Silverado models to ensure no shortage of pickups while 2019 Silverado production ramps up.
Strangely enough, buyers still can’t configure a 2019 Silverado, either, while the 2019 GMC Sierra configurator has been online.
Ram has also mimicked GM’s strategy and continues to build and sell the previous-generation truck alongside the new model. Meanwhile, Ford F-150 sales dropped 8.8 percent.
The first 2019 Silverado arriving at dealerships feature a crew-cab layout with either the 5.3-liter or 6.2-liter V8 engine. Later this year, production of the 2.7-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine will begin for the truck, as well as additional body styles. GM will then introduce the 3.0-liter Duramax inline-six engine for another powertrain option.
GM has banked big on its redesigned pickups to prop up profits and finance major investments in electric cars and self-driving vehicles. The automaker plans for 20 new electric cars by 2023 and hopes to have a commercial service for its first self-driving car operational next year.
Comments
So I see inventory levels mentioned frequently for sales downturns. Obviously, if a dealership normally has 100 trucks on the lot but today they only have 40 it would be expected that sales would decline. So at what level do sales really start to decline based on inventory levels? 5% reduction in inventory translates to 4% decrease in sales? Anybody know?
It is the lack of 19 trucks not 18 trucks hurting sales.
Most buyers are wanting the newest truck and they are just now getting to the dealers where buyers have a little choice.
I just saw the first Denali. It was the only one and already sold.
It’s more that GM reduces incentives to maintain inventory while the factories are down for the switch.
It is a 2.7l 4cy not a 2.3.
The difference as well is the 2019 RAM entered the market with incentives or cash on the hood. GM has been tight with offering as much off the price with new models. They’re still tight with Colorado and Traverse. There are a lot of people who’ll move if the newer models are priced better than an older soon to be replaced model. Also and unfortunately the tech and interior quality of the RAM has moved ahead of the GM twins. Big selling points at 50K plus.
plus the configurater is not up yet
Its easy to sell vehicles when they’re being sold with incentives and discounts.
Same old Chrysler buying market share at the expense of profits. How can you redesign a truck and then lease a crew cab big horn for $389 month and that’s not even employee. Anybody want to answer that????
We could not buy them with out the discounts
Every new GM butt in a RAM is possibly a butt that will never return. If this is just RAM owners upgrading no loss to GM, however no gain either.
It won’t take long for those GM butts to sit in a Ram before they find out why Ram has to load them up with huge incentives and sub-prime financing. Or why Ram and the rest of the FCA brands are all at the bottom of every reliability survey. The 2019 Ram 1500 has been especially bad. The AC system is so weak it can barely keep up in the summer time, dozens of rattles, leather seats coming apart, water leaking in around the windshield and 3rd brake light, front suspension clunks, squealing brakes, 12″ touchscreens loaded with software glitches, stalling engines, etc. And that’s in addition to the normal Ram problems like the dozen of so bushings in the multi-link suspension that start to groan and squeak after a year or two, airbag systems that fail when it gets too cold outside so you’re stuck with the front suspension completely deflated while the rear airbags are pumped as high as they can go, MDS misfires as the rockers and lifters fail, etc. Also, what happened to that huge bump in payload capacity that the 2019 Ram was supposed to get. I read through a thread on a Ram forum where 2019 owners posted pictures of their yellow capacity stickers. Most of them still had pathetically low payload ratings 1400-1500 lbs (some were even lower). Pretty bad when a Colorado has as high of a payload rating as a 2019 Ram.
Doesn’t hurt that FCA will finance just about anyone, at least in the Chicagoland area. Can’t get financed at Ford or Chevy….Dodge will. Ram’s a nice truck, but the build quality is very suspect.
Yep, the big volume Ram dealer 20 minutes away from me is pushing $11k off 2019 Ram 1500’s PLUS near-0% interest for 60 months. And the leftover 2018 Ram 1500’s are even cheaper. Financing available for up to 90 months. Business as usual for them. Same goes for the terrible quality control so far — the 2019’s have been TERRIBLE.
Rationalize it all you want, but a lack of stock and an MIA configurator doesn’t seem like a ‘calculated’, winning marketing plan.
Not surprising when you look at the old out dated tech and those cheap interiors GM makes, Everything they do is half ass, they never innovate.
They used to. Waaaaaaay back in the day. I think that is the reason why younger people still root for GM. They want them to go back and become the leaders they used to be in the Industry.
It may be your opinion that a “good” truck is one loaded with unreliable gimmicks, but the rest of us just want a truck with a proven engine, a decent interior, a bed that can handle work without ripping apart like tinfoil, and a suspension that’s built to last. Ram can sprinkle glitter all over their truck but that just means the reliability will be even worse than the rock bottom reliability they already had up until now. Same with Ford. They NEED those “innovative” gimmicks to sell trucks because the rest of the truck is so mediocre these days. Their engines are unreliable trash that are major repair bills waiting to happen when the warranty expires, the bed has the strength of a “military grade” pop can, the 4WD setup is made of plastic, and the dash plastic is so cheap that brand new trucks have warped dashes just sitting on the dealer lot. GM is the only one left that gives you decent payload, reliable engines, tough beds, and proven suspension designs.
Yep, the F-150 sold today makes Ford’s “Built Ford Tough” sound like the punchline to a joke. Now the beds crack, the dashes warp, the cabs crack for no reason, the plastic gears in the IWE’s start grinding to dust and you no longer have 4WD, the front suspension is made of thin stamped steel components instead of forged steel parts like they used to be, etc.
This mindset is why ‘trucks’ are no longer trucks.
Ram is offering over 10K off some 2019 new body models around here. Beginning to see quite a few as a result. Meanwhile the Chevy and GMC dealers are holding out for little/no discount off MSRP.
As a result just saw the first 2 GMC 1500 trucks on the road and no Silverados yet. Not confident GM will retain the #2 position in sales but as long as their massive profits hold they won’t care.
Silverado still holds over 48000 sales lead for the year. Add in the Sierra and it jumps to over 100000. I think GM is in good shape.
the Ram truck has a nice Chrome Grill and Chrome trim
the Silverado has a grill looking like a plastic chain- link fence; so what do they expect?
also: why are cars too low to the ground?
You seem to be grossly misinformed and don’t possess much of an understanding of consumer preferences.
The Silverado offers a wide variety of fascias… some with chrome, others without. The GMA guys did an entire write up on the LTZ which is chrome galore:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/09/2019-silverado-ltz-exterior-guided-photo-gallery-tour/
Chrome is less popular and less important now than it was in the past. People want body color or black accents today. Welcome to the 21 century.
Also, the Ram has “a grille looking like a plastic chain-link fence”… like the Silverado. Only higher-end models of both trucks are chromed out. The range toppers have body-color everything with minimal chrome.
Too low to the ground? Have you driven the Silverado or the Ram? They sit higher than any other regular duty truck before them. What in the world are you talking about?
I am going to buy a Bighorn next month after I return from a cruise. Chevy is overpriced and looks tired. Saw a video of an aluminum f150 basically disintegrate when it hit a parked tow truck so even though I currently own an 07 f150 I can’t trust to put my grandkids in one. Ram is affordable and fresh even though in the back of my mind I still hear my now deceased father saying they are known for bad transmissions.