mobile-menu-icon
GM Authority

Full-Size GM SUVs Outsold All Rivals Combined In 2019

U.S. sales of full-size GM SUVs – the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, as well as the Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV – fell seven percent to 263,214 units in 2019.

Despite the seven percent decline, The General outsold all competitors on a combined basis, accounting for 60 percent of the market share. In fact, GM sold 158,146 more SUVs than Ford, 212,057 units more units than Nissan, and 244,671 units more than Toyota.

2015-2020 Chevrolet Tahoe

2015-2020 Chevrolet Suburban

2015-2020 GMC Yukon

2015-2020 Cadillac Escalade

Sales Numbers - GM Full-Size SUVs - 2019 - United States

MODEL Q4 19 / Q4 18 Q4 19 Q4 18 YTD 19 / YTD 18 YTD 19 YTD 18
CHEVROLET TAHOE -14.56% 21,086 24,679 -2.85% 101,189 104,153
CHEVROLET SUBURBAN -32.62% 10,242 15,200 -14.36% 51,928 60,633
GMC YUKON -17.35% 20,966 25,366 -7.56% 74,673 80,784
CADILLAC ESCALADE -7.15% 8,889 9,573 -3.93% 35,424 36,872
TOTAL -18.22% 61,183 74,818 -6.81% 263,214 282,442

Every one of full-size GM SUVs saw sales volume decline during the year, primarily as a result of two factors:

  1. About two weeks of production downtime at the GM Arlington plant during the first half of 2019, and
  2. Over a month of production downtime in the fourth quarter as a result of a 40 day-long labor strike orchestrated by the UAW

Both events depleted inventories of GM’s popular full-size SUVs at the retail/dealer level, reducing sales volume in the process.

2018-2020 Ford Expedition

2018-2020 Lincoln Navigator

Sales Numbers - FoMoCo Full-Size SUVs - 2019 - United States

MODEL Q4 19 / Q4 18 Q4 19 Q4 18 YTD 19 / YTD 18 YTD 19 YTD 18
FORD EXPEDITION +71.62% 24,267 14,140 +58.11% 86,422 54,661
LINCOLN NAVIGATOR +14.75% 5,455 4,754 +4.58% 18,656 17,839
TOTAL +57.31% 29,722 18,894 +44.94% 105,078 72,500

The story was quite different at the Ford Motor Company, where Ford Expedition sales saw a 58 percent increase to 86,422 units, while Lincoln Navigator sales grew 5 percent to 18,656 units. Both models were all-new for the 2018 model year.

2020 Infiniti QX80

2020 Nissan Armada

Sales Numbers - Nissan Full-Size SUVs - 2019 - United States

MODEL Q4 19 / Q4 18 Q4 19 Q4 18 YTD 19 / YTD 18 YTD 19 YTD 18
NISSAN ARMADA +6.37% 7,435 6,990 -1.86% 32,044 32,650
INFINITI QX80 -15.78% 4,910 5,830 -0.49% 19,113 19,207
TOTAL -3.71% 12,345 12,820 -1.35% 51,157 51,857

Nissan full-size SUV sales decreased 1.35 percent to 51,157 units, with sales of the Nissan Armada down 1.86 percent to 32,044 units while Infiniti QX80 sales fell 0.5 percent to 19,113 units. The Nissan Armada competes with the Tahoe/Yukon while the Infiniti is a rival to the venerable Cadillac Escalade.

Sales Numbers - Toyota Motor Co Full-Size SUVs - 2019 - United States

MODEL Q4 19 / Q4 18 Q4 19 Q4 18 YTD 19 / YTD 18 YTD 19 YTD 18
TOYOTA SEQUOIA -10.28% 2,706 3,016 -7.48% 10,289 11,121
TOYOTA LAND CRUISER +27.21% 1,150 904 +9.75% 3,536 3,222
LEXUS LX +36.05% 1,385 1,018 -0.74% 4,718 4,753
TOTAL +6.14% 5,241 4,938 -2.90% 18,543 19,096

Toyota full-size SUV sales fell 2.9 percent to 18,543 units during the 2019 calendar year, with the recently-refreshed Toyota Sequoia seeing a 7 percent decrease to 10,289 units while the Toyota Land Cruiser gained 10 percent to 3,536 units. Lexus LX sales saw a 1 percent decrease to 4,718 units.

Sales Numbers - Full-Size SUVs - 2019 Calendar Year - United States

MODEL Q4 19 / Q4 18 Q4 19 Q4 18 YTD 19 / YTD 18 YTD 19 YTD 18 YTD 19 SHARE YTD 18 SHARE
CHEVROLET TAHOE -14.56% 21,086 24,679 -2.85% 101,189 104,153 23% 24%
CHEVROLET SUBURBAN -32.62% 10,242 15,200 -14.36% 51,928 60,633 12% 14%
GMC YUKON -17.35% 20,966 25,366 -7.56% 74,673 80,784 17% 19%
CADILLAC ESCALADE -7.15% 8,889 9,573 -3.93% 35,424 36,872 8% 9%
FORD EXPEDITION +71.62% 24,267 14,140 +58.11% 86,422 54,661 20% 13%
LINCOLN NAVIGATOR +14.75% 5,455 4,754 +4.58% 18,656 17,839 4% 4%
NISSAN ARMADA +6.37% 7,435 6,990 -1.86% 32,044 32,650 7% 8%
INFINITI QX80 -15.78% 4,910 5,830 -0.49% 19,113 19,207 4% 5%
TOYOTA SEQUOIA -10.28% 2,706 3,016 -7.48% 10,289 11,121 2% 3%
TOYOTA LAND CRUISER +27.21% 1,150 904 +9.75% 3,536 3,222 1% 1%
LEXUS LX +36.05% 1,385 1,018 -0.74% 4,718 4,753 1% 1%
TOTAL -2.67% 108,491 111,470 +2.84% 437,992 425,895

Overall U.S. full-size SUV sales increased 2.84 percent to 437,992 units during the 2019 calendar year. The figure would have likely been even greater had it not been for the two aforementioned events. The General has now revealed all four of its full-size SUVs, and will launch in them around the end of Q2 or beginning of Q3 of the 2020 calendar year.

All-new 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe

All-new 2021 Chevrolet Suburban

All-new 2021 GMC Yukon

All-new 2021 Cadillac Escalade

As is usually the case with all-new models, sales volume will likely suffer during the first year of production until hitting stride during the second year. Hence, we expect sales of the all-new, 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe, 2021 Chevrolet Suburban, 2021 GMC Yukon/Yukon XL and 2021 Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV to decline marginally in the short term but then pick up substantially during the second year of production. In fact, we’re about to see this chain of events play out with GM full-size pickup trucks – the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra.

Subscribe to GM Authority as we bring you the latest Chevrolet Tahoe news, Chevrolet Suburban news, Chevrolet news as well as GMC Yukon news, GMC news, and Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac news, along with ongoing GM news coverage.

GM Authority Executive Editor with a passion for business strategy and fast cars.

Subscribe to GM Authority

For around-the-clock GM news coverage

We'll send you one email per day with the latest GM news. It's totally free.

Comments

  1. You could have just said the Tahoe was the best selling full size SUV.

    You know, since everyone continues to keep the Sierra sales numbers seperate from the Silverado’s when comparing full size truck sales!

    Just say’n!

    For that matter, lets just combine “full size” truck/SUV numbers and see who comes out on top, after all when the little ones populate the family the truck in the driveway is often replaced with the SUV!

    Happy wife, happy life! 😅

    Reply
    1. Why would anyone say what you’re recommending when it’s clearly about SUVs as a whole?

      Why don’t you change your username to dumbstyle or dumba$$? That way we can all be happy.

      Reply
      1. Who’s not happy “Riddlass”, just stating the fact that every time truck sales are tallied the numbers for GM’s trucks are kept apart as if to make the other two look better. What other reason could their be?

        Here it wasn’t needed as just the Tahoe itself out sold everyone else!

        Reply
  2. I don’t think fastyle gets it. It’s not about one model but about all six models having huge share together. GM doesn’t just sell the Tahoe. It also sells the Yukon and Escalade. Together they are the industry’s best-selling SUV franchise. That’s what this is about.

    Reply
    1. I do get it D, see above!

      Reply
  3. GM’s numbers could have been even higher if they hadn’t cancelled the other Suburban based vehicles….the Avalanche & Escalade EXT…

    Reply
    1. A measly few thousand a year wouldn’t have made any difference… To their pickup truck sales numbers, which isn’t what this is about.

      Reply
  4. I’m guessing the declines are due to people waiting on MY 21 vehicles. I would rather get a 21 Yukon Denali rather than the 20, because the significantly better interior and IRS is worth the extra money.

    Reply
  5. The more I see the Tahoe, the more I like it. The more I see the Escalade, the more it looks like a brandless caricature of a “luxury SUV” from a video game or something. I wish I could get the Escalade interior in the Tahoe exterior.

    Reply
    1. Totally agree…and the more you look at the Yukon, it looks like it’s trying very hard…what with the huge grill, the stick-on side vent and what not. Visually, the Chevy comes off as the most comfortable with itself…if that makes any sense. My dream is actually a $90k Tahoe or Suburban…with all the interior bells and whistles of the Escalade. Think a domestic statement not dissimilar to a Land Cruiser…everything you want, without putting on any heirs.

      Reply
  6. There are three (3) types of people in the world.

    Those that can count and those that can’t

    Reply
    1. You know what they say, five out of four people are not good at math.

      Reply
  7. I think the new ones all look good. However I bet the new Tahoe and Suburban are going to kill it in sales.

    Reply
  8. Seems GM has a winning formula with this product line. They need to transfer that formula across all products in all divisions especially Cadillac. One category is names. There is no way GM would change Tahoe, Suburban or Denali…. or Escalade… as their names mean so much. Cadillac’s current cars all have new names and they’re going to fail as the products are ehh… and no one knows what they are. Duming the well established CTS was stoopid!

    Reply

Leave a comment

Cancel