At the 2018 Detroit Auto Show, trucks dominated the news front and center, which is perhaps as it should be, injecting a little bit of reality into a crazy, self-driven-vehicle world.
Chevrolet debuted the 2019 Silverado full-size pickup, which won’t be in dealer showrooms until late this year. The Silverado’s styling is much more expressive, which may not appeal to everyone, but the truck comes in all different package levels that will appeal to almost anyone. Significantly, Chevrolet continues to offer its frame, body, and bed in steel, reserving aluminum for its door panels, hood, and tailgate. There had been some speculation Chevrolet would follow its fierce competitor Ford and use more aluminum, but Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, made it clear Chevrolet would stick with steel.
There will be eight different versions of the 2019 Silverado to satisfy every buyer. There are three “high value” trim lines (Work Truck, Custom, and Custom Trailboss), three “high volume” trims (LT, LT Trailboss, and RST), and then gorgeous, luxurious, “high feature” trims (LTZ and High Country). While pricing wasn’t provided at the debut, the current 2018 Silverado starts at $28,285 and tops out well north of $60,000.
Ram also debuted its full-size 1500 pickup, earning instant acclaim from the assembled media. Indeed, the all-new Ram 1500 is muscular and handsome, and it will be available in the spring, nearly six months ahead of the Silverado.
There will be six different trims available – Tradesman, Big Horn, Laramie, Rebel, Limited, and Longhorn, the last two being the most luxurious. Like Chevy, Ram didn’t release pricing yet, but the current 1500 goes for $26,495 for the Tradesman and up to $52,875 for the base Limited.
Ford went smaller for the Detroit Auto Show, unveiling the long-awaited midsize Ranger, already a hit in the Asia-Pacific region and finally coming home to the U.S. in crew-cab format. The Ranger will be available in a variety of configurations, including XL, XLT, and Lariat, with available Sport, Chrome, FX2, and FX4 option packages. Pricing will need to compete with the segment leader, Toyota Tacoma, which currently starts at $28,860.
Why all this investment by the industry in these trucks? One word: Construction. Lots and lots of construction is going on. The U.S. Census reports that new home sales have increased 27% year over year, bolstering builder confidence 7% in the same timeframe, according to NAHB/Wells Fargo National.
But of course, not all pickup truck buyers are builders, which is why there are so many different configurations. Pickup trucks accounted for nearly 14% of new car sales in 2017, and they’re not all cowboys or construction crews.
In fact, pickups dominate sales in almost every single county in the U.S., and luxurious pickups are increasingly becoming the norm. Ford reported that the average transaction price for the Ford F-150 in 2017 was $47,800, up $3,400 from 2016, and far exceeding the average price of about $36,000 for the new vehicle market overall.
GM’s breakdown of the Silverado’s different trim levels is quite clever, providing buyers with the opportunity to add specific functionality and personality as desired. They’ve left no stone unturned when it comes to appealing to a wide range of buyers, which may add to the complexity of production, but also means buyers will find what they need in a Chevy showroom.
KBB.com data reveals that repeat customers by brand – or loyalty – amongst pickup owners is some of the highest in the industry, making it easier to sell an updated version of a truck to an existing customer. But this is where Chevrolet may encounter some difficulty during the first three quarters of 2018. The all-new Silverado won’t roll out until late in 2018, which means Chevy will spend much of the year hawking the current model while the bells and whistles for the new truck are public knowledge.
At the same time, the Ram 1500 debuts in March, providing similar bells and whistles that will be available immediately in showrooms, presenting some tough competition for Chevrolet. Current Chevrolet owners will probably be slathered with loyalty incentives from GM, while Ram will run aggressive “conquest” incentives, rewarding those defectors willing to switch brands. What will this mean for shoppers?
Savings. Lots and lots of savings.
For full-size pickup truck shoppers, 2018 could be an embarrassment of riches, with the opportunity to leverage current and upcoming products for the best deals. That means it’s potentially worth breaking from tradition and exploring a new brand, and taking advantage of conquest dollars on the hood.
There’s also no ideal time to buy a truck in 2018. With the new Ram 1500 debuting in March and the Silverado later in the year, there’s going to be inventory sell-offs available all year long. And Ford certainly won’t be letting this happen without jumping into the fray with its updated 2018 F-150.
If you’ve been standing on the sidelines debating about trading up to a new pickup truck, this is the year to jump into the game.