Trucks Capture Two-Thirds of U.S. Market

Pickup trucks, SUV/crossovers and vans accounted for a record 67% of new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. during the first quarter, up from 62% in the same period last year, according to Autodata Corp.

Light trucks captured 63% of the U.S. market in calendar 2017, compared with 60% in 2016 and 56% in 2015. The segment represented 49% of total sales in 2008.

Full-size pickups represented 20% of the U.S. light-truck market in January-March. But most growth in trucks came from surging demand for compact pickups and small SUVs. Their quarterly sales climbed 27% to 112,700 units and 28% to 75,300 vehicles, respectively, according to Autodata’s statistics.