No One Wants to Buy These Worst-Selling Trucks
2020 has been a tough year for auto sales, especially pickup trucks. Today we’re looking at the three worst-selling trucks in the United States. GoodCarBadCar published its U.S. pickup truck sales figures for the second quarter of 2020, highlighting the most affected models. Not everything is dreary; however, two models managed to increase sales compared to 2019 significantly.
The 2020 Nissan Titan – 6,465 trucks sold
The Nissan Titan has struggled to win U.S. buyers’ hearts since its second-generation introduction in 2016. The introduction of the new truck seemed very promising. The Titan debuted with a great looking aesthetic, available Cummins diesel engine, and a wide array of trim levels. Sadly the Titan’s original $40,290 base price meant it demanded a significant premium over established models such as the F-150 and the Chevy Silverado.
During the second quarter of 2019, Nissan managed to sell 8,343 Titan models. During the same period in 2020, just 6,465 trucks found new homes, marking a 22.5 percent decrease. Aside from the global pandemic, other factors contributed to the Titan’s lack of sales, such as removing the diesel engine for 2020, lackluster interior design, and questionable reliability as reported by Consumer Reports.
The 2020 Honda Ridgeline – 6,380 trucks sold
The Honda Ridgeline receives a lot of unfair criticism online. While it is mainly just a Honda Pilot with a truck be in the rear, it’s exceptionally comfortable and fun to drive. If we had to guess, two main factors are turning buyers away from the likable Honda. The first is the styling. The Honda Ridgeline’s front end looks precisely like the less than beautiful Pilot. When looking at it from the side, the front and rear look like they belong to two different vehicles.
The second contributing factor is its value proposition. With a $33,900 starting price, the Ridgeline sits above what a base model F-150 or Silverado would cost. Add on the options, and the Ridgeline’s price comes eerily close to $50,000. That price wouldn’t be an issue if it offered a V8 engine, higher ground clearance, and more robust towing capacity. As a result, Honda managed to sell just 6,380 Ridgelines in the second quarter of 2020. During the same period in 2019, the 8,303 Ridgelines found new homes, marking a 23.3 percent decrease.
The 2020 GMC Canyon – 5,226 trucks sold
The worst-selling truck in the United States as of the second quarter of this year is the GMC Canyon. Unique to the Canyon is that it has a near-identical twin, the Chevy Colorado. Despite this, Chevy managed to sell 19,843 Colorado’s to the Canyon’s 5,226 units sold during the same period. It’s not like the Colorado is a better truck, either. Consumer Reports ranked these two trucks as the worst in the segment, citing ride quality, build quality, and reliability issues as primary drawbacks.
The reason for the Canyon’s low sales could come down to its price tag. Being a GMC model, it is marketed as a more luxurious version of its Chevy counterpart. As a result, the Canyon’s starting price is almost $1,000 higher than the Colorado’s despite them being almost identical.
To put the Canyon’s sales figures into perspective, consider this, the F-150 managed to outsell it once every four days. As mentioned in the intro, there were two significant winners during this year’s second quarter, the first being the Ford Ranger with a 68 percent increase over 2019 and the Jeep Gladiator with a 174 percent increase during the same period.
