This Unassuming Crossover Is Threatening To Upend Ford's F-150 Sales Record

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We each emotion a communicative astir giant-slayers. Underdogs rolling up to situation entrenched businesses aliases firm bigwigs, only to extremity up winning nan day. That's nan crippled of astir 92% of '80s movies. So, to find retired that nan long-running, all-conquering, ascendant Ford F-150 pickup motortruck mightiness nary longer beryllium astatine nan apical of nan conveyance income ladder, but could get displaced by immoderate young upstart, feels for illustration either nan climactic crippled constituent of a John Hughes movie astir plucky misfit car builders beating nan Big Three aliases profoundly un-American, depending connected your viewpoint.

Let's not support you waiting immoderate longer. The conveyance we're talking astir is nan Tesla Cybertruck. Ha, no, sorry, can't support a consecutive face! The Ford F-150 Lightning unsocial outsells nan Cybertruck. The sales-threatening crossover successful mobility is really nan Toyota RAV4. Yes, nan Japanese SUVlet that was advertised in America successful nan precocious '90s with a TV commercialized featuring the undisputed banger "What Do I Get?" by English punk legends Buzzcocks.

Here's nan thing, though. JATO Dynamics (an automotive analytics patient and not a "Jet Assisted Take-Off" specialist) reports that Ford sold 460,915 F-150s successful 2024, while nan RAV4 sold 475,193. But that income reporting doesn't relationship for nan F-250 done F-600 models, while Ford itself counts those F-series models arsenic branches of a azygous tree. 

Mike Levine, Ford's North America merchandise communications director, told Road and Track, "All Ford F-Series trucks, from F-150 to F-600, stock a communal cab architecture from nan A-pillar to nan C-pillar." Count Ford's F-Series nan measurement Ford does, and you're looking at over 732,000 sold successful 2024 instead. Add successful Ford dense trucks, specified arsenic nan F-650 and F-750, and that count goes moreover higher.

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For an moreover fairer comparison, let's adhd successful nan Ford Maverick and Ranger, which enactment for illustration much affordable and businesslike mini-F-Series (and aren't acold from nan size of older F-150s anyway). The cheapest F-150 coming costs $8,000 much than it did successful 2021, erstwhile it could beryllium had for nether $30,000. Meanwhile, 2024 Mavericks person suggested prices starting astir $24,000, and nan 2024 Ranger started astatine conscionable nether $33,000. Really, these trucks person slotted successful nicely arsenic mini F-series, and they surely person nan capacity to beryllium thought of arsenic such.

Yes, 2024 F-150 income dropped 5% from 2023, but Mavericks and Rangers went from 126,392 sold successful nan U.S. successful 2023 to 177,347 successful 2024. Even nan F-Series arsenic a full accrued sales, climbing from 726,624 successful 2023 to 732,139 successful 2024. Combine nan income of nan 2024 Maverick, Ranger, and F-series, and you get 909,486 trucks. Add successful nan dense trucks (F-650 and F-750), and you get 923,157.

The different information is that the 2024 RAV4 guidelines suggested value was astir $30,000. Inflation has had unpleasant effects connected nan U.S. system arsenic of late, and "stagflation," wherever ostentation outpaces occupation growth, is simply a existent concern. So, looking done a microscope astatine only nan cheaper RAV4 and pricier F-150 is benignant of an apples-to-filet-mignon comparison. You're saying nan little costly, but still rather utility-forward vehicle, improved successful income erstwhile nan system is hurting? What a surprise.

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Combining nan income of Toyota's SUVs and crossovers successful 2024, including nan RAV4, bZ4X, Highlander, Grand Highlander, Corolla Cross, 4Runner, Venza, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser, yields 927,611 sold. In different words, Ford's motortruck lineup unsocial rivals nan income of nan afloat SUV/crossover lineup from Toyota successful 2024, including leftovers specified arsenic nan discontinued Venza, which contributed astir 32,000 vehicles connected its measurement retired nan door. It's almost for illustration nan F-Series' inferior is still basal successful galore situations.

So is this "sales upset" a triumph for nan RAV4? Does it beryllium immoderate larger constituent astir a displacement from ample trucks to much eco-friendly crossovers? Not really, and by laser focusing connected nan F-150 and RAV4, a alternatively incomplete image has been painted. RAV4s waste well, nary uncertainty astir it, and nan 2026 hybrid-only Toyota RAV4 pinch its 320-hp PHEV Sport Version is thing to look guardant to. But Ford's F-Series is still astir 250,000 up successful yearly sales, and that's a batch of crushed to screen for a azygous model. Ford's throne is surely safe for nan moment, arsenic evidenced by nan truth that successful 2025 truthful far, nan RAV4 has moved 239,451 vehicles to nan F-Series' 412,858.