With an unprecedented pandemic blanketing the globe and affecting every aspect of consumer activity, it’s not surprising that new vehicle sales in the U.S. through the first half of the year dropped almost 25% compared with 2019.
Across the board,
most manufacturing facilities ceased operation for three months starting in
March and resumed operation in May or June. The months-long shut-down caused
production delays and impacted vehicle launches and deliveries. When state
lock-down restrictions were lifted and eager buyers returned to auto showrooms
in June, sales were hampered by low inventory.
Despite pandemic-related challenges, including the implementation of contactless car shopping and online ordering systems, consumers are still buying vehicles. Through June, buyers purchased 6.5 million new vehicles, a decrease of 23.4% compared with the 8.4 million cars and trucks sold during the same period last year.
Light trucks, a category that includes pickups, SUVs and crossovers, also now account for 75% of the new vehicle market, reflecting Americans’ thirst for larger, higher-riding SUVs and crossovers over smaller passenger cars. Fifteen of the top-selling vehicles fall into this group, including the Ford F-Series line of pickup trucks, which has long-held the No. 1 position as the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. (and the world), followed by Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 pickups.
Toyota’s RAV4 compact
crossover also is holding strong as the highest-selling vehicle that is not a
pickup, a title it’s held for the past five years.
The Honda Civic is America’s most popular sedan, and Tesla, which defied California’s shelter-in-place orders and continued operation at its Fremont manufacturing facility, sold 68,300 Model 3s, narrowly missing the list of the 20 best-selling vehicles for the first six months of the year
Here is a list of the 20 best-selling vehicles through the first half of 2020:
Model
YTD 2020
YTD 2019
% Change
Ford F-Series
367,387
448,398
-18.10%
Chevrolet Silverado
264,442
255,463
3.50%
Ram Pickup
246,253
299,480
-17.80%
Toyota RAV4
183,360
200,610
-8.60%
Honda CR-V
138,898
176,944
-21.50%
Honda Civic
127,858
169,172
-24.40%
Toyota Camry
125,899
176,008
-28.50%
Chevrolet Equinox
124,251
174,157
-28.70%
Nissan Rogue
106,965
175,267
-39.00%
GMC Sierra
106,833
97,403
9.70%
Toyota Tacoma
104,699
121,866
-14.10%
Ford Explorer
101,149
101,823
-0.70%
Toyota Corolla
100,721
140,150
-28.10%
Jeep Grand Cherokee
96,409
123,272
-21.80%
Jeep Wrangler
96,131
116,995
-17.80%
Honda Accord
88,754
129,435
-31.40%
Subaru Forester
85,860
86,219
-0.40%
Ford Escape
84,797
133,100
-36.30%
Toyota Highlander
79,071
111,183
-28.90%
Nissan Altima
69,049
108,777
-36.50%
Source: Motor Intelligence June 2020 Monthly U.S. Market New Vehicle Deliveries Report
I’m an automotive technology and lifestyle writer covering alternative powertrains, transportation startups, next-generation infotainment systems, and basically anything could “disrupt” your daily commute. My work has appeared in CNET.com, TheDrive.com, CNN.com, and several print and online publications.