Light Trucks Capture a Record 69% of U.S. Market

More than two-thirds of all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. last year were pickup trucks, SUV/crossovers or minivans.

Such sales jumped 8% to 12 million units in 2018, according to Automotive News. Demand for conventional cars fell 13% to 5.4 million units, the segment’s smallest volume in 60 years.

The radical shift in consumer preferences has caused cars as a proportion of total light-vehicle sales in the U.S. to plunge from 50% in 2013 to 31% in 2018. Analysts predict further erosion in market share this year, coupled with a dip in total sales to roughly 17 million units.