33 Years Running: F Series Tops Again
The champ wins again!

2009 model year sales winner, Ford F-150
Ford did everything in December to push its popular full sized F-Series trucks selling a whopping 48,209 units, the best performance seen by the line since March 2008. As a result, the F-Series continues to maintain its position as the best selling truck in America, a position it has held consistently since the 1977 model year.
What’s more, the Ford F-Series remains the most popular vehicle sold in America, the undisputed model leader for 28 consecutive years.
Staying On Top
The F-Series’ reign appeared to be in jeopardy early on in 2008, when ultra high gas prices pushed down demand for big trucks. This segment which also includes the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra, and Nissan Titan, has long been dominated by the American makes who still sell 91 percent of all big trucks.
Yet, when gas prices gyrated in 2008, Ford’s position as the top selling passenger vehicle model looked to be in jeopardy with perhaps the Toyota Camry or Corolla overtaking its lead. That was not to be as gas prices retreated and sales eventually stabilized.
True, Ford’s 413,625 units sold in 2009 were well below the 939,511 units sold in the record selling 2004 model year, but the entire segment is down. Indeed in a depressed US market where just 10.5 million units were sold for the year compared to 17 million plus in the early 2000s, the F-Series numbers remain impressive.
Core Truck Owners
The big news for Ford is the type of person who is buying their trucks, someone the company identifies as a core trucker. These are people who use their truck’s towing and hauling capability for work and play; owners who now make up 40 percent of the light-duty full-size pickup market up from 30 percent just six years ago. These owners choose better contented trucks which means that Ford is able to drive home a higher per vehicle profit.
In the commercial/fleet portion of this core trucker sub-segment, Ford F-Series continues to dominate. The F-150 has 44 percent of the light duty commercial/fleet market; and Super Duty is stronger still with over 56 percent of heavy duty commercial/fleet market.
The modern Ford truck line made its debut in 1948 when the F-1 hit the market. Over the years, the F-Series has enjoyed a five year product life cycle, with the 2009 model year being the most recent change over for the perennial sales leader.
See Also: Trucks Trends 2009 Sales Report
Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

