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New Ford F-150 models coming off of the assembly line

The Ford F-150 Ended 2019 in the Same Place it Started

The Ford F-150 has been one of America’s favorite vehicles for decades. Some of the most brand-loyal owners own a Ford truck. But how did sales stack up for the truck giant last year? Is Ford still the undisputed champion of the truck segment? Here’s how strong Ford is remaining in the face of the …

The Ford F-150 has been one of America’s favorite vehicles for decades. Some of the most brand-loyal owners own a Ford truck. But how did sales stack up for the truck giant last year? Is Ford still the undisputed champion of the truck segment? Here’s how strong Ford is remaining in the face of the strongest truck segment competition we’ve ever seen.

Consistency is key: how Ford’s year went

New Ford F-150 models coming off of the assembly line
The Ford F-150 | Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

Ford started off the year with solid F-Series sales, and in true Ford truck fashion, those numbers remained consistent throughout the year. The first month of 2019 saw 70,596 F-Series sales, according to GoodCarBadCar. Numbers by the end of the year showed Ford’s ever-lasting presence, with 77,033 sales in the last month of 2019.

Ford sold the least trucks in September but still sold 64,816 units while May seemed to be the best month with 87,670 F-Series sales. Collectively, 896,526 F-Series trucks were sold in 2019. And though that’s a decrease in sales over the previous year, it’s only a 1.41% decline. Whether Ford saw a decline or not has no bearing on its consistency in selling more trucks than any other brand.

Why the Ford F-150 is the undisputed king of the truck segment

No other truck came close to matching F-Series sales for the year, and no one is surprised. After all, Ford has been the undisputed truck king for decades. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Ford F-Series has been the No. 1 selling truck brand for 37 years, with the F-150 earning best-selling truck for 42. A recent study of sales numbers also found that the F-150 “is the top-selling new vehicle in 20 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas and 22 of the 50 states.” There are also more used F-150 sales than any other used truck model in 32 states.

Looking at Ford’s truck sales over recent years only cements its place as truck king. In 2009, Ford sold a measly 413,625 F-Series trucks. But that number is still significantly higher than every other brand for that year, and sales numbers have grown every single year since then. According to GoodCarBadCar, F-Series yearly sales numbers have consistently (and increasingly) been above 700,000 since 2013. Most truck brands can’t match those numbers even now, let alone several years ago.

Is there competition for the title?

Ford isn’t just the most popular truck brand. It’s the most popular truck brand by far. The company’s biggest competition, Chevrolet and Ram, simply cannot match the F-Series’ numbers. Where Ford sold 896,526 for 2019, Ram and Chevrolet only sold 633,694 and 575,569, respectively. Though these trucks are the biggest competition, those numbers are nowhere close to matching those of the F-Series. And 2019 has been the most competitive truck year of them all.

Recent years have produced a truck/SUV-friendly consumer market, with car sales decreasing more and more every year. That means more and more trucks are on the road than ever before, creating more competition within truck brands to produce a truck consumers will love. But the competition seems to be a fight for second place, not first.

The Chevrolet Silverado was once considered the only competition to the Ford F-150, but recent years have pushed Ram trucks into second place in the race for the best-selling truck. And competition is only expected to heat up as truck and SUV sales surge into unforeseen numbers. As America’s best-selling truck, the F-150 probably isn’t in any danger of being dethroned anytime soon.