Truck wars are heating up. With 2020 third-quarter sales results in Chevy is on the ropes in a couple of segments. Ram outsold the Chevy Silverado again. This could potentially place Chevy in third place behind Ram for the second year in a row. But the numbers for the Ford Ranger are more telling. It’s a numbers slaughter as the Ford Ranger is killing the Chevy Colorado. 

While Ranger sales are up 30% so far in 2020, Colorado sales are down 30%. It is an amazing tumble for the Colorado. And while the total production numbers so far this year are not too far apart, the Colorado is trailing the Ranger by 10% with 68,529 Colorados sold in 2020 so far. 

When will GM combine both Chevy and GMC truck numbers?

There has always been this question of “when will GM combine both Chevy and GMC truck numbers?” If GM did this for its midsize trucks the number would be almost 85,000 pickups. That is well over the Ranger’s 74,338. But it would put GM in a precarious spot.

Combining the names would telegraph that the two trucks are the same. Now, you and I know that because we’re enthusiasts. But does the general public? And what about Colorado and GMC Canyon buyers? Do you think GMC buyers think that they are getting a more premium pickup? Do you think it matters? Should GM just start calling them both Colorado pickups and drop the pretense? As it is Canyon sales in 2020 are down almost 40%. Not good!

The same thinking would work for the Silverado and GMC Sierra. Combined they would not beat Ford’s F-150, but they would slaughter the Ram. Obviously, the perception that the Sierra and Silverado are somehow unique from each other has value for GM. But does the Silverado trailing the Ram 1500 hurt the brand more than separating the two helps?

The Jeep Gladiator had a 144% surge in sales so far in 2020

While the Jeep Gladiator trails the Colorado by about 12,000 units, it had a 144% surge in sales so far in 2020. That is huge and really sparks up the numbers for the Gladiator. Of course, the Toyota Tacoma is the king of this segment. So far this year Tacoma sales have been 163,619 units. 

The Tacoma is down 13% from last year at this time but as sales in all markets continue to increase overall we could eventually see its numbers match last year’s sales. Conversely, the Nissan Frontier midsize has seen sales plummet by more than 50%. Nissan really needs to bring out that new Frontier. This is what happens when you’re not minding the store. Newer vehicles take your sales away. 

The same can be said for the Nissan Titan. With slight upgrades, it is still down almost 25%. It is time for Nissan to bring out a new full-size pickup, too. WIth Titan options drastically cut and sales stopped in Canada there is little expectation it will do well. Bring on the all-new Titan and Frontier.