Tacoma finished 2023 with no fewer than 234,768 units delivered in the US market. However, the generational changeover means that sales nosedived big time in the first quarter of 2024. How big of a fall? Think 21,558 examples of the breed versus 53,583 between January 2023 through March 2023, representing a drop in volume of 59.8 percent.
Even so, the mid-size truck segment's most popular truck did better than Colorado and Canyon. The biggest automaker of the Big Three in Detroit reported 20,406 total deliveries in the US, namely 14,922 units for the Chevy and 5,484 for the GMC-branded twin. Said numbers represent improvements of 12.6 and 9.3 percent, respectively.
On a per nameplate basis rather, the Nissan Frontier was the second best-selling truck in the segment during Q1 2024. The Yokohama-based automaker delivered 19,744 units of the V6-only model as opposed to 16,926 in the first three months of 2023. The Jeep Gladiator, regrettably, fell 4 percent (from 13,575 examples last year to 12,989 in Q1 2024).
In a similar fashion to 'Yota, the Ford Motor Company also reported a huge drop in sales volume for the Ranger. The new generation changeover led to 1,918 deliveries compared to 11,500 last year, which is a staggering drop. Minus 83.3 percent sure boggles the mind, and Ford also hindered 2024 Ranger production by focusing on the Bronco.
Looking at the glass half full, the Blue Oval has recently promised to create approximately 900 new jobs at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne. Of those, roughly 700 employees come from the Rouge Complex in Dearborn. Due to cooling demand for EVs, the F-150 Lightning's assembly plant has transitioned to one shift back on April 1, 2024.
Photo: Toyota
We couldn't end this Q1 2024 sales report without mentioning the Honda Ridgeline. Technically a midsizer, the unibody pickup truck ended the quarter with 11,296 deliveries to its name. During the first quarter of 2023, the V6-only Ridgeline moved 12,918 units in the United States market.
At $39,750 right off the bat, it's easy to understand why 2024 Honda Ridgeline sales are faltering. We also have to remember that – due to the unibody construction – maximum towing capacity is limited to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kilograms in the metric system). By comparison, the redesigned Ranger starts at $32,670 and tops 7,500 lbs (3,402 kgs).
Over at FCA US LLC, the Jeep Gladiator is a pricey cookie as well, for the base specification is $39,190 before destination. It will get even pricier in 2025, though, because Gladiator will receive a plug-in hybrid option under the 4xe moniker. Similarly, the Wrangler 4xe will be updated in 2025 as well.
The four-pot Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are $31,095 and $37,595, respectively, whereas the Nissan Frontier can be yours for as little as $30,030 for model year 2024. And finally, the 2024 Toyota Tacoma starts at $31,500 for the time being. Prices for the i-FORCE MAX hybrid powertrain have yet to be published, but we do know that i-FORCE MAX production will start sometime this month.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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