Pickup Sales War: Ram Challenges Silverado for No. 2 Spot
If you're a regular reader of our monthly pickup truck sales report, you've likely noticed that Ram has been gaining on the Chevrolet Silverado. The two have had solid holds on the No. 3 and No. 2 spots, respectively; but Ram is gaining on the Chevy. No truckmaker is likely to catch up to No. 1 Ford, but May was the third straight month in which Ram outsold the Silverado by more than 1,000 units.
During the last several months, the two have been engaged in a strong head-to-head sales battle, with the Silverado outselling Ram by 12,000 units in January and February, and then Ram turning the tables in March, April and May, closing the gap for the year to within 5,000 units.
Although it's not yet a dead heat, one good month for Ram and one bad month for Silverado could change things in a hurry. But you can bet Chevy won't let that happen without a fight. In fact, it looks like GM is already adjusting existing discount programs to better position itself to take advantage of the summer and fall selling seasons.
We'll be watching this race closely, because both Ram and Chevy are redesigning and improving their existing top-selling half-ton models, following the lead set by the top-selling Ford F-150 with weight-lightening materials and more powerful, fuel-efficient powertrains. It's worth noting that Ford seems to be doing something right, as it just had the best May sales for the F-Series in 13 years along with doing well for the year so far.
As for the next-generation Ram 1500 and Silverado 1500, we don't expect them to be revealed until later in 2018 as 2019 models.
Cars.com photos by Evan Sears
Comments
GM could drop the price and pull away from Ram, they only have 6 months to go till the all new 2018s hit the lots.
GM needs to pull their design team into a room and let them know that this is happening because of what they did to the front grill on the 2016 model.
I don't understand the article. GM has two brands. GMC and Chevy. Combined they outsell Ram by 16,000. Ram will never win #2.
RAM will take out Chevy in 2017.
Wow they have some GREAT discounts now! I started looking at some Chevy 1500's last month, and they really bumped up the rebates this week. Thank you Ram for scaring Chevy into a fire sale.
GM's problem is they restrict the 6.2 to $52k+ trucks. Every other truck brand offers the premium engine on lower trim trucks.
And GM screws you even more because they limit the 8 speed to the LTZ and higher trims for the 5.3. The 5.3 6 speed is a doggy combo and struggles when towing over 5,000 pounds. It's not fun when your 2016 5.3 LT Silverado sits in 2nd and 3rd gear towing a 5,000 pound boat just to maintain the speed limit.
My 2016 5.7 Platinum Tundra's tows that boat with no problem in 4th/5th gear at the same speed. and the 38 gallon tank is much better than the 26 gallon GM gives you...
PUTC has adopted Ford's "spin" on the monthly totals.
GM keeps outselling Ford year after year, but every month we have to listen to the usual blue oval nutjobs on this comments site go on about GM needing more truck lines than Ford to do it.
Maybe Ford should offer more trucks? Can you say Ranger?
I don't understand the article. GM has two brands. GMC and Chevy. Combined they outsell Ram by 16,000. Ram will never win #2.
Posted by: dale milner | Jun 6, 2017 1:29:07 PM
Sad.
"No truckmaker is likely to catch up to No. 1 Ford"
:D
GM could drop the price and pull away from Ram, they only have 6 months to go till the all new 2018s hit the lots.
Posted by: johnny doe | Jun 6, 2017 1:08:01 PM
Price does not equal value. The reason Ram out sells Silverado is value not price.
Extreme discounting is clear evidence that the GM twins are not perceived as having value.
Chevy screwed themselves by making the best built longest lasting trucks on the road, they don't have to be replaced every seven or so years like the others. Hard to get someone to buy a new Silverado when their fifteen year old Silverado is still running great with no worries about reliability for the next several years. People buy a Ram and Fords to replace them in less then ten years, Us smart consumers buy a Chevy Silverado's because we know it going to last at least twenty years.
Extreme discounting is clear evidence that the GM twins are not perceived as having value. Posted by: Ramtastic
@Ramtastic
If RAM had two truck brands (can you say Jeep?) would their annual sales numbers equal GM? GM outsold RAM by 2 to 1 last year. Just sayin
I dont like the 2016 front end either . 14-15 was way better looking.
Ram might do it!
@Jimmy Don't forget the crappy 3.42 gears. No more 3.73's like I had in my last 2 Chevy's. My Ram has 3.92 gears and pulls 5,000 lbs. easily. The limited options killed it for me. Got the 32 gal. tank too. GM doesn't even offer one.
Look the picture above with the square wheel wells and the big bulging square fenders. This is awful.
GM and Ram will never catch Ford. The reason Ford is doing so well s fleet sales. GM and Ram have dropped many if not most of their fleet sales. This equates to higher profits. This site compares the percentages of retails sales vs fleet sales between Ford and Ram. Retail sales between these two are closer and anyone might think. As for catching Ford, I dont believe the Silverado nor Ram have the capacity to produce enough trucks to catch Ford, period. Quantity doesnt reflect quality.
http://www.allpar.com/news/2017/06/may-fca-surprises-37760
Chevy screwed themselves by making the best built longest lasting trucks on the road, they don't have to be replaced every seven or so years like the others. Hard to get someone to buy a new Silverado when their fifteen year old Silverado is still running great with no worries about reliability for the next several years. People buy a Ram and Fords to replace them in less then ten years, Us smart consumers buy a Chevy Silverado's because we know it going to last at least twenty years.
Posted by: heyyouguys | Jun 6, 2017 2:25:07 PM
Now, that's is some funny unbridled hubris!
Your cheese has slid off the cracker.
GM could drop the price and pull away from Ram, they only have 6 months to go till the all new 2018s hit the lots.
Posted by: johnny doe | Jun 6, 2017 1:08:01 PM
By johnny dum dum's own admittance; shaky GOVT motors should just give them rust buckets out for free LOL :-))
I bought a Chevy because I wanted it to last more than 40000 miles, I drive cheap rams and ford's at work they don't last at all, I can take my gas powered 3/4 ton where there diesels fall apart, and my Chevy is way more comfortable to ride in as well
Look the picture above with the square wheel wells and the big bulging square fenders. This is awful.
Posted by: former chevy guy | Jun 6, 2017 3:33:55 PM
Yep, you said it & besides that; doesn't the cheby look smaller like a mid-sizer?...
GM is losing market share to both Ram and Ford. I look forward to seeing their new line-up and hope it is drastically different than the status quo from GM.
And the reason Chevy out sales G.M.C. $$$$ G.M.C. is a more expensive brand. Same reason Chevy v8's are so popular in Ford projects $$. So Ford sales more fleet period. So pounding your chest for being a fleet queen is humerus. Retail sales will tell you more than fleet. Price matters their to. A large percentage of owners of fleet don't even drive the vehicles.
Economic Hardship Forces Dealers to Massively Discount New Trucks.
http://www.thedailylifer.com/keep-on-trucking-for-much-less-2/?append=cpc&aff=4473&off=1843
And the reason Chevy out sales G.M.C. $$$$ G.M.C. is a more expensive brand. Same reason Chevy v8's are so popular in Ford projects $$. So Ford sales more fleet period. So pounding your chest for being a fleet queen is humerus. Retail sales will tell you more than fleet. Price matters their to. A large percentage of owners of fleet don't even drive the vehicles.
Posted by: HEMI V8 | Jun 6, 2017 4:41:35 PM
@ HEMI V8; your ape man chest pounding comment is way off; besides a sale is a sale, I'm certain shaky GOVT motors & Fiat would love & can only dream about getting Ford's fleet sales numbers...I can guarantee you that.
GM just needs to go bankrupt again and this time just let it die.
Both of them are junk. Garbage motors and fiat truck .junk hah
Ford F-150 and Ram 1500 full-size pickup trucks – are being sold with spiffs as rich as $5,250 and $5,750, respectively, on select configurations.
Remeber G.M. vowed to reduce Fleet sales. Also reduce discounts. So now their falling behind on numbers sold but probably higher profits.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2017/06/06/the-biggest-bang-for-the-buck-new-car-rebates-up-to-10000/#a02ef1d39656
I don't understand the article. GM has two brands. GMC and Chevy. Combined they outsell Ram by 16,000. Ram will never win #2.
Posted by: dale milner | Jun 6, 2017 1:29:07 PM
Sad.
Posted by: Frank | Jun 6, 2017 1:51:07 PM
"No truckmaker is likely to catch up to No. 1 Ford"
:D
Posted by: Frank | Jun 6, 2017 1:51:30 PM
Doesn't say truck brand Frank.
I guess shaky GOVT motor's upper management are on hot ejectable seats now :-))
http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/autos-trucks/2017-ram-1500-vs-2017-chevrolet-silverado-1500/ss-BBBKmnL?ocid=spartandhp#image=1
Doesn't say truck brand Frank.
Posted by: canoepaddler | Jun 6, 2017 4:57:01 PM
This is Pickuptruck.com, please insure you're visiting the correct site you frequently trvll.
Well it doesnt.
"Ram challenges Silverado for no. 2 spot"
PUTC has adopted Ford's "spin" on the monthly totals.
GM keeps outselling Ford year after year, but every month we have to listen to the usual blue oval nutjobs on this comments site go on about GM needing more truck lines than Ford to do it.
Maybe Ford should offer more trucks? Can you say Ranger?
Posted by: papajim | Jun 6, 2017 1:49:45 PM
smh..........
I don't understand the article. GM has two brands. GMC and Chevy. Combined they outsell Ram by 16,000. Ram will never win #2.
Posted by: dale milner | Jun 6, 2017 1:29:07 PM
The article is about one brand, RAM, catching another brand, Chevy for the #2 full size truck in total BRAND sales. GM is not a brand. It is a company that sells many different brands. I.e. GMC and Chevy. Holy crap!! Why is that so hard to understand for you people?
Damn, that blue chevy in the picture above is one good looking truck. It has a much better profile than the Ram and both of the Ford F-girls.
Fiat is bleeding money Buy American Ford or Gm
Even though data show Silverado and Sierra as separate entries, and the Ram beat the Silverado (May data), in fact all three American manufacturers are competing against the pickup truck offerings from the parent manufacturers.
So, since Sierra and Silverado come down the same assembly lines, and are essentially the same vehicles (except facade and some options), shouldn’t they be added together?
=========================
Having driven both of these pickups extensively I do prefer the Ram, especially the 5.7 Hemi in the 4x4 crew cab.
Here's why;
1. Ride. I'm finding the coil sprung Ram is better to us, the majority of pickup owners who haul air mostly. The truck handles well enough. The F150 is a little taut and jittery, this is most evident on less than perfect road surfaces.
2. The EcoThing in the Ford offers as good FE when keeping with the traffic at best or at worst it sucks fiel when expected to do a little work.
3. Drivetrain. The Ram 8speed is as seamless as you could want.
4. A big one here. The interior of the F150 looks as if the materials used come straight from a budget Mitsubishi. The Ram interior "feels" and appears to be of better quality. Ram's seats could use better material.
5. Exterior style. Ram is more pleasant to the eye. Softer and not so harsh.
Finally. Ram's pricing is aggresive. Ram's biggest let down is perception, Chrysler perception which negatively impacts Ram sales, still.
I would wrote about the Silverado, but I decided to use the worse pickup on offer. The F150.
Ford proves with good marketing anything is possible. Imagine if marketing was good enough we could end up with a reality TV star as President.
If the Silverado looked like the Ram, this conversation wouldn't exist. The Silverado has been an ugly duckling since 03 but from 07 forward, it got really really bad. Chevrolet once built the best looking trucks on the road. No truck has ever touched the 67-72 looks wise. The GMT-400's were awesome too. And Old Chevrolet would have e-coated their frames.
The thing holycamoly PUTC included truckmakers in article. Ram is a fca brand, chevy is a gm brand, ford is just ford. Ford gets brand title but truckmaker suggests a manufacturer. PUTC first the 4.0 tacoma screwup now a fuzzy comparison. Just saying it's a little lazy article writing, you guys can do better.
@ Mark Williams,
Idea for an article, why do fleet managers buy what they do?
Good idea Robert- and say goodbye to thousands of decent paying factory and parts supplier jobs in America too... get over it.
@Mark Williams,
JLTV vs GM HD, Raptor and Power Wagon. Obviously all different strengths but fun! Could substitute GM HD for Colorado ZR2. Personal vs military.
Firefighter. Now that would make a good article
@ papajim,
I recently priced out all a Ram, Chevy and Ford for our fire department. It is impossible to get exact comparisons based on optio s selected, standard equipment and options available but for 1 ton 4x4 gas regular cab the Ram was the cheapest by far ($2500 less on average) and the Chevy and Ford were always within $300.
This is using state fleet pricing, I was amazed as I always hear rants about Ford's cheap fleet sales.
@ papajim,
I recently priced out all a Ram, Chevy and Ford for our fire department. It is impossible to get exact comparisons based on optio s selected, standard equipment and options available but for 1 ton 4x4 gas regular cab the Ram was the cheapest by far ($2500 less on average) and the Chevy and Ford were always within $300.
This is using state fleet pricing, I was amazed as I always hear rants about Ford's cheap fleet sales.
Steely123,
Thousands of good paying jobs reliant on subsidies? Not good or smart.
Any job like autoworkers should be self supporting. Does the taxpayer give handouts to Joe's Dinner when it goes under?
Taxpayer money should be used better. If a business or industry goes under, let it go. Something else will replace it. So when Joe's Dinner goes under another joint opens. This is freedom of economics, not the protection of unions and the rich.
Its about maximizing your tax dollar bang for buck. Not supporting and vote pork barreling minorities and the rich.
@Firefighter
When PUTC tested the gassers, RAM stood out. The RAM one ton gasser would be a great choice in fleet trim.
The GM base gasoline engine in the one ton is not in the same league as the RAM V8. Ditto Ford.
I haven't driven a F250 or F350 in recent years but their drive train is probably not up to the RAM's.
RAM pricing, as you noted, is the bottom line. The RAM dealers where I live have been super competitive for several years.
@Firefighter
When PUTC tested the gassers, RAM stood out. The RAM one ton gasser would be a great choice in fleet trim.
It stood out against the GM but came in second to the Ford.
Ford's drivetrain had the best acceleration 0-60 and in the quarter mile and best braking.
"the Ford literally ran away with the competition, finishing with a total almost 100 points more than the Ram, more than 125 points ahead of the Chevy and more than 140 points ahead of the Nissan....The big standout features for our judges were the new Super Duty's striking interior layout and quality materials, its numerous large and small storage spaces, top-notch acceleration and braking feel, more bed tie-downs and lighting features than the others, and the fact that it can carry about 66 percent of its weight. Those qualities added up to its big win."
papajim is fake news. ;)
@firefighter; don't listen to these bias old timers papa jim & BAFO - with Fiat products, you really get what you pay for. I am speaking from direct experience with personal (Grand Cherokees/Dakotas/Jeep wranglers), business (fleet of Dodge vans & Chrysler 300's) & friends/relatives ('17 SRT8, RAM's 1500-2500 TD). Some were pre Fiat but most were recent products. They are usually fantastic when new until things start falling apart/going out much sooner than anything I've seen before - it can be as simple as a light bulbs blowing out to door stoppers, window motors, hood lifts to more serious stuff like undetected transmission oil leaks & warping brake discs. It's really too bad as I really believe they come up with some of the most interesting designs but what makes it even more frustrating is Dodge-Ram-Fiat dealers are some of the worst to obtain an parts - they never have it in stock & always in back order. It was bad business for the company with vehicles stuck in the garage & assume this could be worse for a fire station...my 2 cents.
papajim is fake news. Posted by: Jeff
@Jeff
Actually the RAM had the best figures. They had to resort to giving Ford the edge on "intangibles"
RAM won.
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