GM Cries Foul As Ram Moves To Second Place In Pickup Truck Sales
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The pickup truck sales race has largely been a calculated hierarchy for some time: Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500 in first, second, and third, respectively. As of last month, Ram has overthrown that hierarchy.
For the first quarter of 2019, the Ram 1500 has outsold the Chevrolet Silverado – and General Motors is not happy. The final numbers speak for themselves: Ram moved 120,026 trucks, Chevrolet sold 114,313 pickups. Ford is comfortably ahead with 214,611 trucks sold in the first quarter.
2019 Ram 1500 Multifunction Tailgate
On the topic, a GM spokesperson had quite the comment on Ram’s move into second place.
GM spokesman Jim Cain told The Detroit Free Press in a report published Wednesday that “the Ram pickup’s first-quarter sales victory over Silverado amounted to a hollow chocolate Easter bunny because FCA has been pulling out all stops to win sales.”
What has GM accused Ram of doing? A few things to steal sales and move more pickups than ever.
Cain said Ram has placed Ram 1500 Classic models (the previous-generation pickup) into courtesy transportation fleets (loaners). The moves count as new retail sales right now, but the pickups will be offloaded as used cars, per the report. Ram has placed 553 Classic models into courtesy fleets, which amounts to only 1.4 percent of the trucks Ram sold in February.
Cain added that Ram has offered incentives up to $18,000 off of Ram Classic trucks in some markets and pushed short-term, low-mileage leases.
That isn’t to mention the incentives Ram has placed on the new model itself, either. One analyst from Edmunds said Ram and Fiat Chrysler’s strategy is “aggressive” and “kind of unprecedented.”
On its strategy, FCA said it is “committed to providing competitive products at competitive prices in the marketplace. Our incentives constantly change, and vehicle prices can vary by dealership.”
The strategy might be the right one for today’s truck market. Recall, a majority of pickup owners said trucks have become too expensive, and new vehicle MSRPs continue to price buyers out of the market. For those who want a truck, but can’t afford the lofty sticker price, Ram offers an alternative.
This comes as GM chases a very different strategy—one that revolves around profits. While Ram may be number two, it’s unclear how much the brand may lose with the wads of cash thrown onto the hood of its pickups. The real picture will become more clear when quarterly profits release soon.
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Source: The Detroit Free Press
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GM should have made a better truck. The interior is were they missed up. The lower based trucks are awful. Who wants to buy a truck with the same old power train and bad fuel economy. Who wants a 4 cylinder when you can get a 8 cylinder with the same fuel economy. Ram will probably stay in the 2 spot until GM does a refresh.
The Chevy is the better truck, that being said, 18000 off, yes I will switch. The new Silverado’s are only 9000 off. price sells cars, and ram knows it. for 18000 or even 13000 off on the new ram, I could move a trim up. lets be honest though, if chevy offered 12000 off the Silverado, it would be the other way around. Further they forgot to count GMC’s
I got 15k off a 2018 Silverado Crew LT model.
The 2019s are starting to get decent sales, but not FCA we’re giving them away decent.
Their ram is already selling their new 3/4 tons I wonder if they are counting those sales
The Ram dealer near me has been advertising $15k off new 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horns for several months now. They were offering over $10k the same truck last June. $18k off a Ram Classic 1500. The GM dealers here have been stingy on incentives. $8k off in Feb. Just started offering $10k off in April.
The 2.7T got 24 MPG when TFL Trucks tested it on their highway fuel economy test. Alex on Autos said he got 25 mpg.
Ram only has the #2 spot against the Silverado. GM is still #2 manufacturer. Ram is buying second place one truck at a time. $18k off a Classic, $15k off a 2019 Ram Big Horn. GM barely broke $10k in incentives on their new trucks.
Same old power train and bad fuel economy? Sounds like you’re describing the “new” Ram 1500. That are you have ZERO idea what you’re talking about. Oh wait, both are true. Neither one of Ram’s engines have been updated in over a decade. GM’s 5.3 and 6.2 have been updated twice in the last 5 years.
The 5.7 Hemi is old as dirt. Nobody in their right mind would criticize GM for not updating their engines when Ram is still using an engine from 2003. The Gen V engines came out in 2014 and got an update in 2019 That’s twice since 2014. I can tell the Ram’s 5.7 painfully needs an update. My brother’s 2019 Ram 1500 gets worse fuel economy than the 2014 Ram 1500 he traded in for it. Both had 8-speeds and 3.92’s. Funny thing is, he complains that the 8-speed in his new truck is worse than the 8-speed in the old truck. How does that happen.
Yeah I couldn’t believe it when Ram first showed the 2019 1500. How do you go to all that work to make a new truck and you don’t even touch the engine??? No direct injection, no aluminum block, no optional 6+ liter V8 upgrade. Ram was all show no go.
Most people do not buy a new vehicle because it has a new engine. They buy for the quality, appearance, and value.
As a Silverado owner who is looking at new trucks, the Silverado is last on my list. GM executives can place blame where they feel, but truth be told the Ram is a better overall package. I expected a lot more from the new Silverado.
I’m not brand loyal when it comes to trucks or any vehicle class in general, but the new Ram 1500 to my eye is the better alternative to the new Silverado 1500. I’ve sat in both trucks at a local auto show near me, and I have to say.. wow.. Is the Silverado’s interior basic. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very spacious and highly functional, it just doesn’t feel like a 70 thousand dollar pickup like the new Ram 1500. The Ram has a more spacious, visibly more opulent interior with more technology, as well as a more cohesive exterior design. However, I’m neutral on the truck’s long term reliability since it’s an all new machine that just went on sale, along with the new Silverado and Sierra offerings. The vehicle class that I find most appealing is the large BOF SUV class, which is arguably GM’s most important market and core competency. A BOF SUV in my book gives you the image and most of the capability that a pickup truck offers, while offering a smoother ride, 3 rows of seating and arguably a more cohesive, appealing design. The next generation 2020 MY Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe will do just that, once they debut sometime during the first half of this year, maybe this month at the NYC Auto Show or somewhere between this month and June I believe. I shall be waiting..
I am NOT going to buy a new Ram or F150 over a Chevrolet. BUT, I will not buy one of these new GM trucks either. I am a die hard GM owner but I think they missed the mark on this truck. GM has had ugly trucks before (think ’60-’63 Chevy, ’03-’05 Chevy) but this truck and it’s polarizing design along with limited option choices on trim levels and utilitarian interiors seems to have completely went in the wrong direction. I’m sure it’s profitable for the company because it is a “cheap” product ,at least in presentation, but very expensive in price; but there is something to be said about image. And right now their image is being trashed. It does not matter how it’s being done, whether by Ram overtaking them in sales at a cost of profit or Ford overtaking them in public opinion by simply by saying they are better, GM (Chevrolet) has been in decline for awhile with their truck offerings not because they are bad trucks but because they refuse to build what a customer wants and sooner or later that will result in a loss of money. Ram may not have a large profit margin on their trucks but when they are selling more of them that won’t seem to matter as much to the bottom line. All those fleet sales that Ford makes are full of profits but it adds something come the end of the quarter! But the greater pay out is when Ford can say “we sell the most” and a whole generation of potential buyers hear that and say “well they must be the best” and then Ford has sustained another sales lead for another seemingly eternity for drivers that don’t even have a license yet! There is no end in sight! But GM has had it chances and chose not to act. To rest on it’s laurels and no longer lead. In my 48 years I have seen Chevrolet fall from the number sales slot. I have seen GM fall from being the largest auto manufacturer globally. I have seen them go from being “The Heartbeat of America” to saying “Americans don’t buy cars” but continue to buy from foreign competitors. From pacesetter to also ran to back of the pack. And there is no end in sight.
Won’t buy Ford or Ram. Everyone who has had a Ford is full of problems. Ram is not a good looking truck. It looks very wimpy in person. The Silverado and Sierra are much better styled. Its a style that will look good for years to come. Unlike ford or Ram. The new GM interiors are fine. The only thing they could have done is maybe a slightly larger screen. But when I looked at the Ram at show the huge screen looks stupid and its graphics were not very crisp. Also I don’t want all my controls on a screen. Heated seats and HVAC should have separate buttons from the screen which GM is very good at doing unlike its competitors. Simple to use and if the screen screws up which is will you can’t use either. GM is making a decision overall to follow profit over sales. Profit is what keeps a company alive not the most sales. I think they need to simply start matching Ram on incentives if they want the sales.
The new Ram uses plastic control arms. The part that keeps your front wheels standing up straight are PLASTIC. That alone should tell you what kind of “truck” the Ram is these days. Ram should just stop with all the charades and finally put a trunk on the bed. It’s a car, stop pretending.
13 guys apparently don’t care how weak the parts on their suspension are. Guess they use trucks as oversized cars.
Oops looks like you made them angry by outing them Jack lol
I agree tho, the plastic upper control arms on a fullsize truck? The last Ram had weak upper control arms that let the ball joints pop out. Very common problem even on trucks that weren’t leveled. I don’t see the new plastic arms holding up very well. Talk about cheap.
Is it better to have plastic control arms or plastic interiors?
The lower control arm is aluminum and the upper is stamped steel with a structural nylon insert…
Let’s face it though, this generation Silverado was a huge step backwards.
Cuz They’re ugly AF.
When in doubt slam and belittle the competition. This is just a fig leaf to cover GM’s incompetence under Barra. Sorry, you cannot use money to buy back stock and artificially prop up stock price and come up with world class vehicles. Ram wanted to sell trucks and get new buyers behind the wheels of their vehicles, while GM is concerned with margins and appeasing Wall Street. Now go lick your wounds and be still. Ram beat you fair and square.
Agreed, nothing worse than a sore loser is there. Really reflective of the participation trophy era Mary Barra represents.
I get that some of us are emotionally connected to our vehicles, but….the CEO of a publicly traded company is supposed to be concerned about margins, profit, and stock value. That is exactly her job. Not making less money for her investors just so some nostalgic car guys can have bragging rights about “their brand”. Nobody cares about world class vehicles if the company doesn’t turn a profit.
Sorry, you can sell on margin only when 1) you have a superior product, and 2) people are willing to pay the price for that superior product. For example, in the 1980s and 1990s, there were no such things as rebates and incentives on Benzes and BMWs and that is mostly true today. People were willing to pay the extra price for a superior product. In GM’s case, none of these apply. There are hardly any class-topping products that GM offers (perhaps with the exception of the Corvette), and judging from GM’s falling market share under Machete Mary, people are going elsewhere to get what is perceived to be better value for the money.
Regarding being concerned about margins, profit, and stock value, that is all well and good but when you are ignoring your customers, and pissing off your employees and the government, it will eventually nip you in the bud.
Tigger: Add the Volt/ELR/Voltec to your list of class-topping products an I’ll agree with you completely.
They really need to fix the polarizing front end on the Silverado. I’m not sure who thought those massive air scoops on each side was a good look but it’s not. It’s tacky and looks childish. Shorten up the fenders to a normal length, ditch the scoops and return the bumper to it’s full wrap around length. They need to stop these bizarre design language attempts with Chevrolet models. Then upgrade the interior. They need to get people to look at them on the lot and not just drive by. A front end fix would accomplish that. Then they need to get people interested when they sit down inside. An interior fix would accomplish that.
Add to this, why on earth would they expect Chevrolet to keep finishing second behind Ford? GM themselves purposely put Chevrolet behind GMC concerning options and interiors. There’s no advanced ride control for Chevy, no working mans carbon pro bed for Chevy, no working mans pro tailgate for Chevy and even the High Country hasn’t touched the Denali. So shouldn’t GM really be expecting Chevrolet to finish 4th and GMC to be 2nd or 3rd? Because that’s how GM treats Chevrolet, shouldn’t the buying public do the same? It seems to me the Chevrolet faithful are just jumping ship over to Dodge. And why wouldn’t they? Dodge (ram) offers you everything like Ford and keeps the conservative clean looks that traditional Chevy buyers prefer.
As a previous Silverado owner (2015), I purchased a 2019 Colorado, I felt it was a better fit for me. Loved my old Silverado, but I just liked the Colorado better.
GM needs to offer loyalty incentives as opposed to conquest incentives. Seems like a stupid strategy not to reward repeat buyers.
Make a better truck, and then start talking.
I agree with the author. As someone who works with FCA – they constantly are doing shady things to bump up sales numbers without actually selling vehicles. they will say vehicles are completed or even delivered and they aren’t even close to that point – just to inflate their sales numbers – it’s like clockwork before quarter end or year end – FCA is gonna call and tell you they are re-coding all your units as “completed” even when that is absolutely not the case.
All three have improved however, all three are over priced ! $45,000+ for either truck is a lot and if you want the best of them try about $85,000 which would include the Suburban and the Tahoe. They need to offer the “digital” or “analog” versions of each so those who want all the electronics that will become problems can deal with them while those who don’t can have an equally equipped unit that hasn’t. They have become electronic nightmares in the service dept and expensive to repair.
You half-ass the product.. you get half-ass results. And yet Ford is still leading with a product that is how old now? You won’t make a profit on a product that costs more than its competitors but offers much less.
I try not to let history impact my buying decisions because all three companies make vehicles way better than they used to. I have to hand it to FCA. Having first hand, long term experience with their trucks, the last 10 years has brought quality and design improvements at a rate that only Japanese and Koreans have shown in the past. Ram is a legit competitor now.
Ford hasn’t relaxed their efforts either. Some of their sales are due to people still buying just because everyone else buys them, but they’ve manage to continue making a good enough product that people overlook some weak diesel engines, pricey fuel injection repairs and spark plug launching heads for some model years.
GM is playing with more cards and has some winners. Colorado/Canyon aren’t bad like predecessors. I commend their innovation efforts with trying turbos in smaller engines and dogged development of the mighty V8s. Styling though is all over the place. The lower trims seem dead set on making sure no one concerned with appearance wants to buy one. A strategy that seems to focus moving people into the way more expensive models that don’t look bad. That right there has given FCA a gift that seems to keep on giving.
Stop building ugly trucks. The market has spoken.
You got a point. More guys are buying the older Ram with the good looking crosshair grille than there are guys buying the new Ram with ugly replacement grille.
If you compare equal trim Silverado vs RAM, the RAM wins hands down. You would think that the RAM is the more expensive vehicle. When you realize it costs much less, the buying decision becomes very simple. That’s what happened to me.
Its still a Dodge quality purchase and Dodge dealership support, both lag in big ways.
The sad part about it is the Ram Classic old-style pickup even has a better interior than the Silverado/Sierra twins.
Ram 3500 series sales have been higher than combined Chevy/GMC 3500 sales in general since the early 2000’s. With the amount of negativity expressed to me about the 2020 HD already, I am anticipating 2500 series Ram will be closing the sales gap on 2500 series GM, if not outselling Chevy brand alone within the next year.
An awful lot of that due to Cummins. That has been a business relationship that really has worked out into sales success for Dodge and Ram over the last 30 years. Cummins is just a name synonymous with diesel power. The 6.4 Hemi is a pretty solid engine in the HD too and looks like a 7.0 on the way to compete with the GM 6.6 and Ford 7.3. We should really be happy as all this competition has really driven all 3 brands to improve.
The 6.4 Hemi was disappointing to me. They should have kept that MDS junk out of it.
Mine had MDS problems. Traded it in. Ram acts like they don’t have a problem with MDS or rockers breaking. They talk like they care about improving quality but how can they when they don’t want to even acknowledge there are problems.
I don’t get why they put MDS on the engine since it’s in an HD. GM doesn’t put AFM in their HD gas engines.
Put some comparable money on the hood of the upper models. That MIGHT get you some sales.
I had a ’14 then bought a ’16. Both were Denali’s both disappointments. The Denali was suppose to be the cadilac of trucks. Well on the 16 u got charged for a cell phone charger in the armrest that DOES NOT work. They knew this and yet produced it. Fire THAT engineer! All exterior colors are black.. White.. black… thats what the dealers stock as its $400.00 cheaper! Dealers protect their stock and wont trade off. All interior are lets move a button and call it NEW! anyhow I would like a 2020 but if they price it too high, I’ll keep my ’16.