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GM Authority

GM Truck Sales See Substantial Growth Over Past Decade

By Alex Luft

January 3, 2021 11:39 am

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General Motors has substantially grown its pickup truck business in the United States over the past decade.

A GM Authority analysis found that GM truck sales, consisting of the Chevrolet Silverado and Colorado along with the GMC Sierra and Canyon, increased a whopping 75 percent in 2018 compared to 2010 levels, and 73 percent in 2019 compared to 2010.

During the 2018 calendar year, the Detroit-based automaker registered 973,469 pickup truck deliveries in the United States, 75 percent or 418,309 units more than it did in 2010. And during the 2019 calendar year, GM truck sales totaled 963,052 units, 73 percent or 407,892 units higher than the 555,160 units sold in 2010. Two factors – increased demand for pickup trucks and a generally healthy U.S. economy – are believed to be responsible for the impressive gains. In addition, GM’s return to the midsize pickup truck space in 2014 contributed to the growth.

Though Q4 2020 sales have yet to be released at the time of this writing, a simple linear projection would place the automaker at 898,676 truck deliveries for the 2020 calendar year, a depressed amount due to various production and supply-related challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Even so, the estimated results would still represent a growth of 62 percent or 343,516 units over the 555,160 GM truck sales in 2010.

Sales Results - USA - Silverado, Sierra, Colorado, Canyon, Avalanche, Escalade EXT

YearJanFebMar AprMayJunJul AugSepOctNov DecTotal
202472,643 72,64372,643 89,11989,119 89,11982,845 82,84582,845 92,72992,729 92,7291,012,009
202370,821 70,82170,821 81,24281,242 81,24283,278 83,27883,278 79,46879,468 79,468944,424
202268,526 68,52668,526 78,45078,450 78,45066,507 66,50766,507 80,44680,446 80,446881,787
202173,578 73,57873,578 86,78386,783 86,78364,672 64,67264,672 66,90766,907 66,907875,822
202074,552 74,55274,552 67,10867,108 67,10883,009 83,00983,009 98,17798,177 98,177968,538
201965,102 65,10265,102 80,96680,966 80,96686,925 86,92586,925 88,02488,024 88,024963,052
201862,122 65,81385,150 88,52988,529 88,52876,028 76,02876,028 88,90488,904 88,904973,469
201757,757 78,61971,786 69,14371,572 78,40579,896 84,65687,535 84,90277,433 107,205948,909
201660,022 68,17282,099 83,90975,234 79,27189,271 82,49176,780 78,18176,259 91,041942,730
201556,876 69,62871,643 73,50282,361 79,25686,051 85,75583,145 79,64269,994 101,339939,192
201440,115 50,85259,132 60,01164,978 58,99159,585 69,05366,986 67,68968,568 86,845752,805
201351,526 59,23856,360 56,24261,856 61,94460,569 63,43146,864 59,86049,108 60,644687,642
201242,023 50,14357,152 49,45054,689 52,91046,879 60,19155,667 57,89645,991 74,010647,001
201143,247 48,37649,307 44,74744,068 50,51452,100 56,17662,266 54,74850,715 70,776627,040
201034,175 29,00644,259 43,19350,214 47,01151,629 50,24148,707 52,57539,252 64,898555,160
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.

Pickup trucks are one of the highest revenue and profit generators for General Motors, with the other being full-size SUVs (Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, Escalade). The substantial growth in GM truck sales has enabled the automaker to exit several contracting segments like (most) sedans, as profits made from growing its truck business substantially overshadow being generated from cars. In addition, GM’s ongoing growth in trucks has enabled it to exit various global such markets such as Europe, Russia, Australia and Southeast Asia.

It wouldn’t be out of place to conclude that the ongoing growth in GM truck sales is funding the automaker’s aggressive push into new energy vehicles and autonomous cars. As announced in November 2020, GM plans to introduce 30 new EVs by 2025. The General is also working to roll out its Cruise robo-taxi service in select markets, though it no longer has an exact timeline for the rollout of the service.

Silverado HD sales jumped 7 percent to 34,212 units in Q3 2020.

Silverado HD sales jumped 7 percent to 34,212 units in Q3 2020

Going forward, we expect GM truck sales to increase even further over the next few years, as a result of improvements to product and availability. On the product side, GM will introduce a significant refresh to its bread-and-butter Silverado 1500 and Sierra 1500 for the 2022 model year that will address the perceived shortcomings of the current models, headlined by new interiors.

The existing models are already selling well, but GM Authority expects interest in and demand for both models to increase even further. To cope with the increased demand, GM will restart production at its previously-shuttered Oshawa Assembly plant. The more capable Silverado HD and Sierra HD models will get their respective refreshes one year later – for the 2023 model year.

2022 Silverado 1500 refresh undergoing testing in October 2020.

2022 Silverado 1500 refresh undergoing testing in October 2020

Another factor expected to contribute to an even further uptick in GM truck sales is the upcoming overhaul of GM’s midsize pickups – the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon. Both models will be redesigned and re-engineered for the 2023 model year.

Similar to the refreshed full-size trucks, the new Canyon and Colorado will strengthen GM’s competitiveness in the midsize pickup segment, resulting in greater demand and higher sales volumes. All things equal, we expect that the combination of product improvements along with increased capacity will enable GM truck sales to approach the 1.3 million annual sales mark by 2023 in the United States.

  • Totals in table above include U.S. sales of all:
    • Chevrolet Silverado
    • GMC Sierra
    • Chevrolet Colorado
    • GMC Canyon
    • Chevrolet Avalanche (discontinued)
    • Cadillac Escalade EXT (discontinued)
  • The discontinued Hummer H3T – the pickup variant of the H3 SUV – is excluded from sales totals in order to preset an apples-to-apples comparison. H3T sales during its lifecycle were as follows:
    • 692 units in 2008
    • 2,046 units in 2009
    • 81 units in 2010

Sales Results - USA - Sales Numbers - Chevy Silverado Sales

YearJanFebMar AprMayJunJul AugSepOctNov DecTotal
202442,975 42,97542,975 49,63949,639 49,63943,101 43,10143,101 48,56448,564 48,564552,836
202342,331 42,33142,331 47,10047,100 47,10047,822 47,82247,822 47,79747,797 47,797555,148
202240,369 40,36940,369 47,67747,677 47,67739,066 39,06639,066 47,30447,304 47,304523,249
202142,197 42,19742,197 54,91054,910 54,91041,022 41,02241,022 38,45938,459 38,459529,765
202048,245 48,24548,245 40,81140,811 40,81149,161 49,16149,161 59,81559,815 59,815594,094
201938,104 38,10438,104 47,48847,488 47,48851,827 51,82751,827 54,44754,447 54,447575,600
201840,716 42,28252,547 51,84351,843 51,84344,443 44,44344,443 53,72653,726 53,726585,581
201735,553 50,50442,410 40,15443,804 50,51545,966 54,44855,236 53,15746,441 67,676585,864
201637,863 43,13647,966 49,99045,035 49,66254,116 52,40845,380 49,76845,280 54,272574,876
201536,106 45,39545,193 45,97851,602 51,54856,380 54,97753,725 51,64745,001 62,992600,544
201428,926 36,58442,247 42,75546,648 43,51942,097 49,20150,176 46,96642,799 57,837529,755
201335,445 41,64339,561 39,39543,283 43,25942,080 43,60332,506 42,66034,386 42,593480,414
201226,850 32,29736,491 30,74934,555 33,56628,972 38,29536,425 38,73930,674 50,699418,312
201128,172 31,72832,555 29,34228,409 32,57933,121 36,83243,698 36,65634,251 47,787415,130
201022,772 19,82229,886 29,61833,690 30,99434,664 34,08432,185 34,28325,619 42,518370,135
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.

Sales Results - USA - Sales Numbers - GMC Sierra Sales

YearJanFebMar AprMayJunJul AugSepOctNov DecTotal
202422,866 22,86622,866 26,72926,729 26,72926,742 26,74226,742 31,31231,312 31,312322,946
202322,399 22,39922,399 25,27025,270 25,27024,406 24,40624,406 26,50326,503 26,503295,737
202218,872 18,87218,872 20,77420,774 20,77416,723 16,72316,723 24,13824,138 24,138241,522
202120,972 20,97220,972 25,16525,165 25,16517,591 17,59117,591 19,24619,246 19,246248,924
202017,670 17,67017,670 17,94117,941 17,94122,604 22,60422,604 26,12426,124 26,124253,016
201913,515 13,51513,515 18,95218,952 18,95222,066 22,06622,066 22,90722,907 22,907232,323
201811,224 13,16217,082 19,80219,802 19,80217,123 17,12317,123 22,43722,437 22,437219,554
201713,732 17,61818,460 17,40016,200 15,74319,963 17,25418,106 18,89518,136 26,436217,943
201614,381 15,20221,548 20,53117,642 17,16222,428 17,47818,068 15,05018,900 23,290221,680
201512,621 15,15717,395 18,08218,977 18,61819,808 21,24119,754 18,52116,527 27,438224,139
201411,118 14,23216,863 17,24618,326 15,40617,488 19,84716,763 18,56422,544 23,436211,833
201312,846 14,13313,817 14,20816,061 16,56816,582 18,01713,438 16,50314,362 17,854184,389
20129,517 11,30613,849 12,59813,196 12,47911,105 14,49513,636 14,56811,726 18,710157,185
201110,627 11,69611,622 10,52310,753 12,37712,596 13,24413,904 13,36211,971 16,495149,170
20107,271 6,2969,935 9,36011,305 11,44111,910 11,64011,077 12,9839,781 16,795129,794
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.

Sales Results - USA - Sales Numbers - Chevy Colorado Sales

YearJanFebMar AprMayJunJul AugSepOctNov DecTotal
20244,974 4,9744,974 8,9678,967 8,9679,629 9,6299,629 9,1019,101 9,10198,012
20234,419 4,4194,419 6,6366,636 6,6368,507 8,5078,507 4,1324,132 4,13271,081
20227,231 7,2317,231 7,4997,499 7,4998,135 8,1358,135 6,8676,867 6,86789,197
20218,028 8,0288,028 4,9254,925 4,9254,232 4,2324,232 7,1517,151 7,15173,008
20207,143 7,1437,143 6,6146,614 6,6149,085 9,0859,085 9,2369,236 9,23696,238
201911,165 11,16511,165 10,55610,556 10,55610,552 10,55210,552 8,4958,495 8,495122,304
20188,011 8,05012,798 13,67213,672 13,67211,654 11,65411,654 10,00110,001 10,001134,842
20176,413 7,5198,426 9,2219,091 9,63111,206 10,25611,271 9,99010,346 9,626112,996
20165,508 7,3949,718 10,3629,196 9,0499,195 9,24210,383 10,5788,669 9,431108,725
20155,942 6,5636,621 7,0108,881 6,5587,209 7,1147,334 7,0596,230 7,90984,430
201414 12 50 510 036 1,4912,366 4,0378,003
2013822 828560 425244 155207 9341 296 23,412
20122,872 3,5323,652 3,4993,778 4,1244,096 4,2222,833 1,6121,327 1,29336,840
20112,204 2,6062,561 2,7892,944 3,0103,169 2,5312,171 2,0931,978 2,97031,026
20101,939 1,2472,045 2,0102,535 1,8852,195 1,8472,723 2,2311,598 2,38724,642
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.

Sales Results - USA - Sales Numbers - GMC Canyon Sales

YearJanFebMar AprMayJunJul AugSepOctNov DecTotal
20241,828 1,8281,828 3,7843,784 3,7843,374 3,3743,374 3,7533,753 3,75338,215
20231,672 1,6721,672 2,2362,236 2,2362,542 2,5422,542 1,0361,036 1,03622,458
20222,053 2,0532,053 2,5002,500 2,5002,583 2,5832,583 2,1362,136 2,13627,819
20212,381 2,3812,381 1,7821,782 1,7821,826 1,8261,826 2,0522,052 2,05224,125
20201,494 1,4941,494 1,7421,742 1,7422,158 2,1582,158 3,0023,002 3,00225,190
20192,318 2,3182,318 3,9703,970 3,9702,479 2,4792,479 2,1752,175 2,17532,825
20182,171 2,3192,723 3,2123,212 3,2112,808 2,8082,808 2,7402,740 2,74033,492
20172,059 2,9782,490 2,3682,477 2,5162,761 2,6982,922 2,8602,510 3,46732,106
20162,270 2,4402,867 3,0263,361 3,3983,532 3,3632,949 2,7853,410 4,04837,449
20152,205 2,5132,434 2,4322,901 2,5322,654 2,4232,332 2,4152,236 3,00030,077
20141 01 00 30 011 667854 1,5333,070
2013302 180154 8888 6422 128 54 2929
20121,059 1,064941 787910 880720 702555 472330 3158,735
2011694 765765 619566 7391,422 1,606458 778462 7169,590
2010700 510615 527639 576639 667782 913598 8267,992
*** This manufacturer is now publishing only quarterly numbers for this market. Monthly figures may be averages.

Be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Silverado news, Sierra news, Colorado news, Canyon news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

By Alex Luft

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

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Comments

  1. Like to see GM making some money, but I’m just gonna take guess that gas prices aren’t going to go down once Biden’s in office. I know how much everyone at GMA loves politics 😁

    Reply

    1. h4cksaw

      Gas prices aren’t going anywhere. A spike in gas prices will lead to: more wells being fracked; new oil fields being developed; and a spike in EV sales.
      It’s in OPEC & Russia’s best interest to keep oil prices stable as long as possible. Allowing them to move as much petroleum as possible. Before the EV revolution completely kills demand for their product.

      Reply

      1. I didn’t say they’d go up, I just said they probably won’t be go down. Now that you mention it though, if gas prices do go anywhere, I bet they go up. The “EV revolution” is at least a decade away, but I guess we shall see.

        Demand controls the market and I don’t see a ton of demand for BEV’s right now. The current range and charging of EV’s is just too inconvenient for most people, and as long as the grid is primarily power by fossil fuels are they really that much better for the environment? Not to mention the unrecyclable heavy metals that are mined from conflict zones used in the batteries. Right now BEV cars are not at the top of my list.

        Reply

        1. With crude being under 50$ a 55 gallon barrel, your price at the pump is only about $.80 to $1:20 a gallon depending on the weekend, with everything else your paying at the pump being taxes. Even if the gas was free, you wouldn’t pay much less given taxes. That’s why I really don’t think EV’s are going to be as popular in 5 years like everyone is thinking. When cities in California start loosing their 3$ a gallon in taxes they will need to look for money elsewhere. Seeing a 1-2k a year tax rate added to your Tesla title fees is a real buzzkill.

          Reply

          1. h4sksaw/Steven

            Your right wing rhetoric is too extreme for an intelligent conversation. Have a nice day😋

            Reply

            1. I haven’t found any signs of intelligent life anywhere on this planet. The cats and dogs might have it the most figured out.

              Reply

              1. h4cksaw
                Have a nice day 🙂

                Reply

          2. Great Falls Montana average price of gas is $1.99.9 a gallon for gas.. Its been that way for sometime.

            Reply

            1. Tom
              Where I fill up, just outside of Chicago, the price has been hovering around $2,20 a gallon.

              Reply

  2. This should help quite the naysayers about GM not moving any trucks. The bad news is I have no current need for an actual sedan more then the Impala’s size since I live in an large city, unless I want a Malibu or a Cadillac im out of luck.

    I doubt any EPA mandate will change truck sales since the new rules were made under Obama with GM and Ford’s backing and Biden probably would revert back to the Obama charges.

    Reply

  3. And if you compare 2018 to 1918 it’s even more impressive! Just proves GM is king and has the best products right! Right?

    Reply

    1. They also picked up a lot of former Studebaker, International, and Hudson pickup buyers.

      Reply

  4. Ford sold 897,000 F150’s in 2019. Pretty incredible, as GM’s figure of 963,000 is the combined sales of all their trucks.

    Reply

    1. Ford sold 897,000 F-Series not F-150’s. Most of these are 250-350 Series which Ford dominates. But I have no doubt GM sells more half tons than Ford.

      Reply

  5. 2010 was a very very low point, you know due to gas prices and the GM bankruptcy.

    Talk about putting a spin on facts. Let’s do a market share comparison to the competitors now and we will see how poorly they are really doing.

    Reply

    1. No spin. The numbers are right there for your viewing pleasure. A rudimentary glance at the figures shows clear as day that there is a gradual ramp-up from 2010 to 2019. In addition, the article clearly explains the reason for the increase:
      “Two factors – increased demand for pickup trucks and a generally healthy U.S. economy – are believed to be responsible for the impressive gains.”

      So yes, a stronger economy is part of it, but not the entire reason.

      As for current market share, the info is presented here:
      https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/11/chevy-silverado-sales-numbers-figures-results-third-quarter-q3-2020/

      For the first nine months of 2020, full-size truck sales volume:
      GM: 589,295
      Ford: 589,034
      Ram: 402,410

      There’s also the matter of GM gaining 1.3 percentage points of retail market share in the full-size truck space Q3:
      https://gmauthority.com/blog/2020/11/large-gm-trucks-lead-segment-in-retail-market-share-during-q3-2020/

      So, GM has the best-selling full-size trucks YTD thru Q3 2020 and is also gaining in key performance indicators, but according to you, GM trucks are “selling poorly”.

      Conclusion: it’s you who is doing the spin. You ought to change your user name to “SpinMasterFlex” or “FlipFlopMike.” It would suit you better!

      Reply

      1. mike has a point. compare ford/ram numbers from 2010 as well. is gm losing, gaining or stable in terms of market share compared to its main competitors?

        Reply

      2. We often disagree Alex, but the data is undoubtedly on your side here. I just wonder about GM relying too heavily on truck sales while phoning in offerings in other segments. The auto industry has proven to be cyclical and it may be possible that truck sales are due for a dip.

        Reply

        1. I was thinking along the same lines, so I looked at sales for cars five years ago. If you look at 2015 for example, the Impala, Cruze and Sonic combined sold 408,202 vehicles. 2015 was not a peak year for any of those, but certainly well before they started killing them off, and right in the middle of the data Alex posted above.
          According to this article, GM’s truck sales were about where they are today in 2015.
          So my question is, where did those over 400k car sales go? Other GM products? Other car companies?

          I own a 2018 Cruze, and when I replace it, I’ll probably be looking for a Hyundai or Kia. Maybe they’ll still build the Malibu by then?

          Reply

          1. CUV/SUVs, people keep forgetting about them. Yes the competition is selling less cars and moving more utilities overall, even the Rav4 knocked the Camry off its perch.

            Reply

            1. I mentioned “Other GM Products” and wasn’t forgetting CUV/SUV.
              The Equinox is a great seller, but it’s only up 68k units since 2015. The Trax is up 53k.
              I’m not going to add up every product, but I highly doubt it will cover all the lost car sales, and probably half of them went to other companies.

              Reply

              1. My wife bought a Mazda 2 years ago because of the lack of attention GM is giving the B/C segment. In a few years, when it’s my turn to buy their might be another Japanese or Korean car in the driveway. Just another customer GM will never get back. The warranty on GM now, too. Mary and the board need to open her eyes.

                Reply

              2. So how come Ford and Ram have similar outcomes?. It’s not like you can buy a new Taurus or Avenger.

                Reply

      3. This whole GM vs Ford and Ram has only been around since GMA. It was always Chevrolet vs Ford. In the late 70’s before soccer moms and Dentists drove trucks, Chevrolet alone was selling over a million trucks a year.
        Conclusion: where did the buyers go?

        Reply

      4. Let’s not forget about the impact of the 40 day strike!

        Reply

        1. Serious question. Do you mean the impact on sales for 2019, or from people deciding they’ve had enough of UAW antics and won’t be giving them any more money?

          I know I heard plenty of grumbling about “screw those guys” when they went on strike.

          Reply

    2. Good show GM!

      Reply

    3. “Let’s do a market share comparison to the competitors” and include all the sales of Tahoe/Suburban Yukon(+XL)/Escalade(+EXT) to all the mom and pops who made the family decision.

      Reply

    4. Mike is exactly correct.
      About ten years ago GM CEO Rick Waggoner closed four us truck plants because “people are making a permanent shift to cars”. Nobody wanted a truck. Over the next ten years the market returned by default.
      These ‘facts’ are about as skewed as you can get.

      Reply

  6. Ford 1 truck and one marketing to do. GM double the effort for the same result. That should not be – poor.

    Reply

  7. If there was a small (S10) truck they could sell more trucks. Hard to figure the big push to EV. Seems people want and happy with the current trucks available.

    Reply

  8. Think how many more trucks GM could sell if they didn’t have that cheap, sherry interior!

    Reply

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