The American vehicle of choice is, without a doubt, the pickup truck. The current best-selling vehicle in the United States is the Ford F-Series with over 123,951 sold in the past two months. The second best-selling vehicle is the Chevrolet Silverado with 86,057 sales, followed by the RAM P/U, the Nissan Rogue and the Honda CR-V. In fact, the top five best-selling vehicles of 2017 so far are a combination of pickups and SUVs.
There is, of course, still a market for regular cars and even luxury cars. However, there’s no denying the popularity of the pickup truck, and it’s not just farmers and cowboys that are buying them up. Let’s dive into a couple of reasons as to why the pickup truck is such a dominant force in the American motor industry.
Fuel Prices
Compared to other parts of the world, the price of fuel is considerably cheaper in the United States. This makes large vehicles that traditional had bad fuel economy a much more viable choice. For instance, the UK currently sits at $1.47 per litre and Hong Kong is at $1.93 per litre while the US is at a comfortable rate of $0.68 per litre.
Off-Road
Pickups are made to go off-road. They remind us of the great outdoors, adventuring in the wilderness and taking all of our luggage with us. With the help of some LED lights to illuminate the night, a pickup is capable of driving anywhere at any time. Be it sand, rocky terrain, forests or even mountains—pickup trucks can handle it all, and they can do it while carrying all of your clothes and supplies in the back. It’s the ultimate off-road vehicle that doesn’t cut any corners, making it an incredibly versatile and sturdy vehicle.
Versatility
Trucks are massive vehicles that have plenty of different uses. Need to ferry your family around for the morning carpool? Trucks have you covered. Need to carry loads of shopping plus some furniture or appliances? You can do that with your truck. Camping trip? Sorted. Moving homes? Easy. Towing your friend’s car out of a ditch? It can do that too. With so many different uses, it’s no wonder that pickups are called swiss army knives; they’re capable of filling in every role that you could ever imagine.
Price
Pickup trucks are surprisingly cheap compared to other vehicles. For instance, the top-selling Ford F-150 starts at $26,730 for a new 2017 model, and the Ford Superduty is only $32,535. Considering all the features they come with, their versatility and the ability to upgrade and modify the pickup with ease, it’s no wonder they’re still economically viable and a great choice for anyone that uses their vehicle on a regular basis.
Marketing
Pickup trucks have always been advertised as the working man’s vehicle. Back when the majority of Americans were working and living on farms, it was essential to have a large vehicle that was capable of hauling large amounts of heavy items with ease. They have become a symbol of America; the overall design of a pickup hasn’t changed very much and although there is new technology under the hood, the purpose of a pickup truck has never changed.
