GM Says Ram vs. Chevy Pickup Battle Is ‘Sensationalized’
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Ram continued its pickup sales lead over the Chevrolet Silverado in the second-quarter of 2019, but General Motors remains steadfast that its pickup strategy will prove superior in the long-term.
Sales Numbers - Full-Size Pickup Trucks - Q2 2019 - USA
| MODEL | Q2 19 / Q2 18 | Q2 19 | Q2 18 | Q2 19 SHARE | Q2 18 SHARE | YTD 19 / YTD 18 | YTD 19 | YTD 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FORD F-SERIES | -1.33% | 233,787 | 236,947 | 36% | 38% | -0.61% | 448,398 | 451,138 |
| RAM RAM PICKUP | +38.49% | 179,454 | 129,575 | 28% | 21% | +28.24% | 299,480 | 233,539 |
| CHEVROLET SILVERADO | -8.40% | 142,464 | 155,529 | 22% | 25% | -11.78% | 256,777 | 291,074 |
| GMC SIERRA | -4.29% | 56,857 | 59,406 | 9% | 10% | -3.44% | 97,403 | 100,874 |
| TOYOTA TUNDRA | -0.26% | 29,397 | 29,474 | 5% | 5% | -2.32% | 54,497 | 55,792 |
| NISSAN TITAN | -21.07% | 8,343 | 10,570 | 1% | 2% | -22.62% | 18,026 | 23,294 |
| TOTAL | +4.63% | 650,302 | 621,501 | +1.63% | 1,174,581 | 1,155,711 |
Speaking to The Detroit News, GM spokesman Jim Cain said the Chevrolet vs. Ram sales race is being blown out of proportion, as Fiat Chrysler’s lead is bound to be short-lived. GM has still not finished ramping production of its pickup, so inventory at its dealerships is limited, thereby hampering sales.
“The thing everybody needs to remember about this sensationalized Ram versus Chevrolet sales battle is that Rome won the Pyrrhic War,” Cain told The Detroit News, referencing the common ‘won the battle but not the war’ phrase.
Including the Ram Classic, Ram 1500 and Ram Heavy Duty, Ram sold 299,480 trucks so far in 2019, while Chevrolet has sold 256,777. FCA believes its decision to continue selling the previous Ram as the Ram Classic is a major driving force behind its success in the first half of 2019, as it has allowed it to undercut the competition
“Ram has been on a tear since we made the strategic decision to enter the year with a three-truck strategy,” FCA’s head of US sales, Reid Bigland, said this week. “The new Ram 1500, Ram Classic and Heavy Duty are all generating a huge response from customers and critics alike. This is now the third month Ram pickup sales have surpassed 60,000 since December. Our dealers had a steady stream of customers all month long.”
“They’ve indicated they’re gonna stay on offense,” Cain added, referencing the Ram Classic and the aggressive pricing strategies and continued incentives for the new truck. “That’s fine. We are about to make a massive move in full-size pickups.”
The General recently announced it would invest $150 million in its GM Flint Assembly Plant in Michigan in order to boost production of its Chevrolet and GMC Sierra HD pickups. GM President Mark Reuss was recently quoted in saying the automaker was “selling every pickup we can build,” suggesting that demand for the vehicles is currently outpacing supply.
“We have tremendous opportunities to grow our heavy-duty pickup business, because we’ve invested in capability, performance, innovation and capacity,” Reuss said.
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Source: The Detroit News
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Ram will take the year. But once Classic models are gone, Chevy is back not only in sales (less important) but also big profits (more important) that help ensure the health of GM and huge investments like EV, autonomous cars, and another dig at Fiat, the Corvette program where Dodge can’t keep the Viper program alive
Huge investments in things most of the public have no interest in altogether…..
Ask a Chevrolet dealer if they are overstocked with aged 2019 models. Not sure what the massive move is, but the dealers are not happy either. One other point in reference to this quote: “GM has still not finished ramping production of its pickup, so inventory at its dealerships is limited, thereby hampering sales”. Ask a Chevy dealer if they are limited in inventory. The answer is: NO!
“GM has still not finished ramping production of its pickup, so inventory at its dealerships is limited, thereby hampering sales.” ???????? What!
Go to Chevrolet.com and do an inventory search on Silverado 1500. I selected Dallas, zip code 75001 with a range of 2000 miles that should cover most of the country.
2019, Silverado old chassis (K2 Classic) is over 90,000 trucks in inventory, 2019 new Silverado (T1) with 145,753 in inventory.
Once Chevy gets more trucks out there, they’ll take the lead back. Anyone know if Ram is still offering heavy discounts? Pretty sure they are/were and that contributed to their record sales, from what I read.
GM belives in its perfect product with oldfashion interior and too high front with something like origami design. They are blind or use strategy of pride like Boeing with its perfect MAX plane? RAM and 5 years old Ford F150 are winners. GM starts to make crappy cheap product to save costs (from Chevy to Caddy). This truck battle is about cabin (RAM) vs cargo space (GM).
All Chevy needs to do is fix the front end and give it a new interior. You’d think they would catch these things before launch. I’m worried both the front end and interior will harm the HD Chevy too. I hope not.
@Matt: But although they just need to fix the front and interior, that is really no small thing. Actually, that’s huge.
So they better get started… but they won’t!
GM needs to stand behind their crappy 8-speed transmissions, since 2015.
This really is comparable to Boeing. Driven too much by profit, and the product is lacking. And they get away with it: Like Boeing which is protected by a duopoly (often no choice for airlines to go with the better Airbus product because only two players in the game, and both have a production backlog) , GM is protected by the chicken tax, which artificially limits choice with huge taxes on imported trucks.
I want to like the Ford because they didn’t cry for free money when the economy took a dive, but their interiors are fisher price too, and for some reason they forgot how to mount doors flush with the body when they switched to aluminum. But then again, quality will always take a back seat to profit whenever American companies can get away with it.
Not just GM is protected by the chicken tax. It also protects Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan. It protects old trucks manufactured in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
And airbus also manufactures planes in Wichita Kansas, and mobile Alabama.
Should say protects all trucks manufactured in USA Mexico and Canada.
I should proofread before I post. The speech recognition on my phone is not perfect. Probably because my phone was not manufactured in the USA Mexico or Canada.
I know this. Do you know that Airbus execs make half of what Boeing fat cats make? Why?
And Mary makes a bazillion more than the Toyota CEO makes, even though Toyota worldwide sells more cars? And those are the ones that don’t break down all the time unlike your shitty Chevy.
When you can get a nicely equipped truck, big center console and a nice interior for 35K and oh yeah crew cab that’s why dodge is winning. Silverados now are 36K for a LT double cab with a awful interior.
Let’s all be honest here. This is a GM site for people like us (mostly) who are GM fans. I’m a big GM fan and have been mostly GM for the majority of my life. I do like Jeeps a lot and will say that I’ve been a Dodge Ram guy ever since 2004 when I sold them for a year. After that, I’ve never looked back at GM trucks. But the reality is that GM is losing even some of the staunchest Chevy guys to the Ram. Case in point: I have a good friend back in IL who got very mad with me a few years ago over trucks (yes, he was the Chevy guy). He was so mad at me about liking the Ram better that he didn’t speak with me for almost a year! Guess what? He now drives a 2019 Ram and I had nothing to do with it. He actually has admitted that the new Ram is so much better than the Chevy.
That’s GM’s problem now and the all new “look” isn’t helping!
GM is whistling passed the graveyard.
Maybe they should start selling RCSB in USA? Can’t hurt sales numbers.
And the 6.2 L in work trucks and custom. And go back to selling Single options. If you want one option now you have to buy seven things together. That’s male bovine feces.
Ram is the only one of the three that offers five levels of trim.
Ram is the Best Truck….and the Chevy guys that’s buying the new Ram right will not go back to Chevy…..sorry chevy….you are just getting your butt kicked and everyone in the automotive industry knows it…..you know Ford is just setting back enjoying Ram beat chevy….just like they have for 43 years in a row..
Striving for mediocrity. Mission accomplished
Doesn’t matter how many they build if they don’t fix the ride quality, design, and interior. The Ram is far more comfortable over uneven roads. The new Silverado rides like it’s 10 years older than the Ram.
It’s all about the product.
— Patrick Bedard said that more than 10 years ago.
It is still all about the product. Jim Cain says, “We are about to make a massive move in full-size pickups.” I’m not really from Missouri, but SHOW ME anyway. It will still be about the product and if GM’s pickups aren’t up to snuff, Ram will continue to beat them. My personal opinion is that it is about to get a lot worse for GM.
Yet GM continues the “strategy”… sales decreases = market share loss = lost customers who will be very hard to bring back. There are so many heads that need to roll at GM starting w Typhoid Mary…
Mary could not be assistant acting deputy director of the office supply cabinet without screwing the pooch.
This is complete BS this has nothing to do with inventory if I was a Chevy or anybody else an I like the new Silverado I would wait until it comes out this butt hole just don’t want to admit ram out did them an until they step there game up people are going to continue to choose ram over the Silverado one thing Gm needs to do is stay out of the court room that’s one of just many things that keep people from buying your trucks believe me guys iam a truck legend an a true Silverado fan but over the years ram or dodge has just been getting better while Chevy has just been going to just call something new but not blow the competition out the water
With a statement like that out of GM, I’d say they are playing that old tune “The Queen of Denial” 🙂
We all know dodge will stay on top old fashioned we let u win comments dodge is and was the best
RAM is kicking Chevys ass because:
1. Better looking… Chevy is ugly
2. Very nice interior.. Chevy looks old plastic
3. 20% Off msrp…!!! Chevy is starting to advertise 20% Off too… Its a price war now!
Both have over 75 day supply… It is not an issue with trim as Chevy claims… Excuse!
Chevy has been building 2019 trucks for YEAR!
The last trim to come out is slowest selling regular cab work truck… Not a high volume trim otherwise it would have been made first… DUH!!!!… Another excuse.
Chevy is full of excuses because they dont want to admit RAM is better…
Plus, New GM HD trucks are the ugliest truck ever… Going to be a disaster… RAM wins!!
I’m a mechanic, buy trade. GM has crappy motors and transmissions. Plus there’s nothing new. I’ve seen the Dodges, very nice. Cool looking and very nice body style. If I’m putting a new transmission or motor. I’d rather be a Dodge or Chrysler. Than Chevy or GM. I own a Nissan frontier, I was thinking of trading. But the price a little to high.
My last big truck was a 2011 RAM. I bought it because it was thousands cheaper than a ford or GM. It was a decent truck but with several quality and reliability issues that came up in my ownership. Traded for a Colorado a few years back as I had no use for a full size anymore. The RAM is a nice unit for sure, but I really fail to see its big advantages. When I look past the nice interior I can’t help but see really bland styling, a seriously outclassed engine, fewer engine options compared to Ford and GM, all topped with RAMS continuous “fire sale” pricing which really hurts resale. I mean, it’s a nice truck, but I really don’t think it’s sales lead will last, and I don’t see it as the must pickup or any big reasons I’d buy it over a GM or Ford. I think it’s ultra lux interior shocked the truck world, but other than that I keep looking for the goods that make it a class leader and fail to find it.
I traded my 2011 Bighorn for a chevy 2018 LT, i paid a lot more for the chevy and have a lot less. My Dodge was a smoother ride., the ac worked better while sitting at red lights and didn’t have a jerky ride, with the gears, jumping all over, not to mention the motor wasn’t screaming for fast acceleration. My dodge came with air vents for the rear seat, in the floor and the center console, the chevy….none. The dodge came with a electric rear sliding window, dual exhaust, storage under the rear seat and in the floor. My chevy has none of this. The dodge came with a bedliner. I had to buy a bedliner and pay for it to be installed, next i need to buy a storage unit for under the back seat, The chevy had a sticker price of 48k and i am having to finish putting it together. But, the worst thing is, it don’t look like a new truck, it is a old design, it looks like a 2008 design. I was ask if it was a 2010 a month after purchasing it. I was still getting compliments on the dodge, so far not one on the chevy. The only good thing ,it is internet connected, to keep my small kids entertained.
The only reason Ram is leading Chevy is due to deep discounts by Ram to try to take over second place which is a failed business strategy by Ram. Period. Ram will never take over the lead from Ford, so what’s point of them deep discounting each unit they sell just to remain in distant second. It’s a comical business strategy by FCA.
According to Automotive news, GM’s incentive spending is actually higher than every other automaker with the exception of BMW and Benz.
Uh my local GMC is Chevrolet dealerships are selling their trucks for $13,500 Off MSRP. I say that’s a deep discount too.
That’s cuz it’s a year old…Not enough.
@Kevin Holmes:
And yet Ram (Dodge/FCA) is still making a ton of money on every Ram it sells! Trucks are certainly the highest profit vehicles sold and they now have price tags that are way too high. So when you see huge discounts on trucks (any brand), don’t let that fool you.
I hardly think it’s a “comical” or “failed” strategy by any measure. It’s a cash cow.
Agreed – that’s what people need to realize. GM was making over $17,000 in profit on average with the 2014-2018 trucks, and that was back when they were about $5,000 cheaper on average. Ford and Ram likely post similar profit figures; perhaps a little bit less simply because both brands offer more features and different materials strategies for the money.
FCA is doing just fine on Ram and Jeep, even with the deep discounts. The increased Year-over-Year sales largely make up for the lesser profit per unit. While it’s not an ideal long-term play, their goal is to get people in on the new Ram 1500, get impressed with it, and buy another one later on. We are a society of intense brand loyalty, and those buyers they bring over are more likely to stick with them from here on out unless a competitor offers a better product at a better price like Ram has.