Chevrolet makes a lot of great cars, and it’s a very competitive automaker when it comes to pickup trucks. The Chevy Silverado is a strong competitor in the full-size pickup truck segment, but just like many other automakers, Chevy has been expanding its options in the smaller truck segments. In fact, in terms of sales, the Chevy Colorado has made an impressive leap in 2022, and here’s a look at if it can maintain that momentum. 

The Toyota Tacoma dominates, but the Chevy Colorado is doing well

While the full-size pickup truck segment is dominated by American brands like Ford, Chevy, and Ram, this is not the case with the midsize pickup truck segment. The Toyota Tacoma has been the best-selling midsize pickup truck in the U.S. for a while now. In fact, the Tacoma has been the best-selling truck in its segment for 18 years, and that’s unlikely to change.

Other automakers have been more competitive in the segment in recent years though. While it will be tough to catch up to the Taco, those automakers are fighting for second place.

Based on data compiled by GM Authority, the Chevy Colorado made an impressive leap in 2022 in terms of its sales numbers. In 2021, Chevy sold a respectable 73,000 units of the midsize truck. That’s behind the Jeep Gladiator’s nearly 90,000 units, and the Ford Ranger’s 95,000 units.

The numbers for 2022 show a very different picture, however. Colorado sales jumped by over 22% as Chevy sold over 89,000 units of the truck. This put it firmly in second place behind the Tacoma’s 237,000 units.

Both the Gladiator and the Ranger, on the other hand, saw drops in sales. Jeep only sold 78,000 units, a drop of 13%, while Ford only sold 57,000 units, a staggering drop of almost 40%. 

Why the Chevy Colorado may have made that impressive leap

While it’s tough to know why the Colorado saw such an impressive sales jump, it’s clear that the supply chain issues took its toll on the segment. The Tacoma, as popular as it is, still had a 6% drop in sales compared to 2021. The midsize pickup truck segment as a whole saw a 5% drop in sales compared to 2021. On top of that, Chevy didn’t actually change much about the truck for the 2022 model year.

This was because the 2023 model year of the truck is the first of a new generation, so the 2022 and 2021 models had relatively few changes compared to their earlier versions. As such, in all likelihood, Chevy simply was able to produce more midsize trucks than its competitors were able to in 2022, and that’s why the Colorado sold better overall. 

Sales for 2023 will be interesting to keep an eye on

Not that long ago, the Ranger was selling significantly better than the Colorado, so it’s clear that the midsize truck segment is still very competitive. That’s why sales for 2023 will be very interesting to watch, as it will be more representative of what car shoppers are actually looking for in the midsize pickup truck segment. Since the 2023 Colorado will be the first model in the new generation, it should continue to sell well.

However, supply chain issues aren’t going to last forever, and other automakers may be able to match Chevy in terms of their output. The Colorado’s lead isn’t huge either, so there’s a chance that another truck takes second place.

Furthermore, the next generation of the Ranger is debuting in 2023 as well, so it will be interesting to see which brand-new midsize truck that car shoppers go for.