If You Take Pickups Out Of The Mix - What Vehicles Do Americans Really Buy?

Cars are not at the top of the heap.

In fact, not since 2013, when the Toyota Camry was America’s third-best-selling new vehicle, has a passenger car claimed a podium position on the U.S. automotive sales leaderboard. Fast forward to 2017 and passenger cars are way down the list of America’s top-selling new vehicles.

With pickup trucks so obviously differentiated from conventional consumer-oriented vehicles, and with the top-selling trio of pickup trucks (Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, Ram P/U) so distinctly more common, we’ve compiled this list of America’s 20 top-selling vehicles that aren’t pickup trucks, a halfway measuring stick that shows which vehicles are the dominant market forces through 2017’s first six months. Not including the pickup trucks that own 16 percent of the industry, of course.

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Tiberius1701A - 7/27/2017 9:28:56 AM

+2 Boost

@fiftysix...and what awful penalty boxes they are. Rubber band transmissions and all.

TheSteve - 7/27/2017 11:55:38 AM

+1 Boost

Just more data to reinforce what we already know: SUVs and crossovers are more popular and gaining yet more traction; sedans, not so much.

Does anyone remember when BMW made their first SUV, the X5, in 1999? BMW called it an SAV -- Sports Activity Vehicle. Many people decried this as BMW "selling out." In retrospect, it was a very smart, forward-thinking move on BMW's part. They seem to have anticipated the trend well.

Car4life1 - 7/27/2017 12:05:31 PM

-2 Boost

I don't know, I think that honor actually goes to Mercedes Benz whom practically invented the segment as we know it today with their car like riding/handling, crossover/SUV and admittedly hate it or love it looks at the time M Class beating the X5 to the punch with production starting in 1997.

Benz received enourmous criticism at the time for "selling out" and producing a car in the states.

Firewombat - 7/27/2017 12:30:11 PM

0 Boost

Mercedes was first with their ML but they went all in thinking that the car would have to be good or decent enough off road to attract buyers. The X5 was much better at handling or riding more like a car and made the ML look agricultural by comparison because it had no real off road pretensions so I think that's what Steve is referring to.

Lots of press coverage about the second generation ML launch and how they fixed their mistakes with the first gen because I think they received more criticism over the perceived build quality of the first generation than whether they were selling out or not, MB does also manufacture commercial vehicles after all. But my parents bought a used one years ago that already had quite a few miles on and it was pretty much bulletproof, just didn't feel like an E-class which I think was a lot of people's expectation and that's where the X5 succeeded and why it so often gets the recognition of inventing the segment. A lot people also don''t remember that the Cayenne was launched only a couple of years after the X5 and was even better at handling.

Car4life1 - 7/27/2017 1:00:17 PM

+1 Boost

Wether your taste is the X5 or ML,, the fact remains, the MAl started the segment.

In fact, the Lexus RX gets more praise than the X5, beating the X5 to the races in 1998, 1 year after the ML, and went on to becoming Americas Best Selling luxury crossover for years.

While driving enthusiast appreciated the X5's handling, SUV purist appreciated the ML for its ability to hold its on off road and still be manageable enough for soccer moms, however the Lexus RX took top prize by being the best value, and offering the most bang for buck in terms of standard features and reliability

Firewombat - 7/27/2017 3:19:32 PM

+1 Boost

Well that's kind of my point, the ML was a traditional ladder-on-frame SUV and the X5 was more of a crossover SUV. So when people talk about the SUVs that drive like cars you wouldn't reference the ML you would reference the X5. RX was launched before the X5 but that's only relevant for the U.S. The biggest problem was that there weren't enough people who who appreciated the "SUV" qualities of the ML. Which is why the second generation was overhauled to become more like the RX and X5. RX is still king in terms of value and outsells both the Germans because of that. 2nd gen ML still has the best styling of the 3 in my opinion.

MDarringer - 7/27/2017 4:48:02 PM

0 Boost

Yeah the AMC Eagle and the Toyota RAV4 were insignificant milestones.

Firewombat - 7/27/2017 5:48:48 PM

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Yeah, both milestones for large luxury SUVs / Crossovers

Dr550 - 7/28/2017 2:37:12 AM

+1 Boost

BMW was forced to create the X5 after the Land Rover/Rover acquisition became a financial nightmare. Rover sedans were more Honda than BMW realized. The goal was to make Land Rover/Range Rover the SUV's in the BMW family. Too bad in 2008 BMW killed the X7.

ricks0me - 7/27/2017 4:19:09 PM

0 Boost

TheSteve / cars4life1

Google Willys Jeep and look at the images. Willys was decades before BMW / MB
Just like Chrysler would like you to think they invented the mini van. Wrong. The VW Bus was years before that.

Car4life1 - 7/27/2017 5:27:44 PM

+1 Boost

LOL while, willy Jeep is AMAZING, its hardly considered the blueprint for modern day SUV's like the discussion we are having above

Firewombat - 7/27/2017 5:53:57 PM

0 Boost

@rickOme Wow, strange...

ricks0me - 7/27/2017 8:10:30 PM

0 Boost

cars4life: What is the blueprint for the modern day SUV?
Firewombat: Not strange