Pickup trucks have become the backbone of the U.S. car industry. The Ford F-150 is the best-selling vehicle in America and has been for over four decades. It is also, many months, over a quarter of all of Ford’s unit sales. GM’s Chevy Silverado is its top-selling vehicle. Fiat Chrysler’s (recently folded into Stellantis) top-selling vehicle in the U.S. is the Dodge Ram pickup. The success of pickups has been bolstered even further as Americans move from owning sedans and gravitated to mostly larger SUVs and crossovers. And, the pickup sector has begun to add electric engines to broaden its appeal.

Using vehicle sales figures compiled by GoodCarBadCar, an auto industry data company, 24/7 Wall St. identified the most popular pickup truck in America. The base MSRP figure is from the manufacturer.

Heavy-duty work trucks notwithstanding, pickups are generally divided into two segments: compact or midsize, and full-size. In the U.S., full-size trucks dominate the market. Four of the five best-selling pickups this year are full-size and are manufactured by one of the Big Three American automakers. The one midsize truck to rank among the five bestsellers is made by Toyota.

While they are not known for their fuel efficiency, pickup trucks appeal to a wide range of American motorists for their capability and versatility. In addition to traditional functionality that has historically made them popular, such as towing and hauling capacity, many modern pickups can comfortably fit a family of five. Others, especially some in the midsize segment, are specially built to withstand the rigors of off-road driving

America’s most popular pickup is the Ford F-Series. Here are some details:

Total sales in first half of 2021: 362,031 units
> Year-over-year sales change: -1.5% from same period in 2020
> Best sales month in first half of 2021: March — 84,043 units sold
> Base model MSRP: $29,290

The Ford F-Series is not only the best selling pickup truck in the United States, but also the best selling vehicle — and has been for over 40 years. Though sales of F-Series trucks are down slightly from the same period last year, at 362,031, unit sales top the Ram, the second best selling truck in the country, by nearly 49,000. The new F-150, far and away the most popular F-Series truck, ranges in price from $29,290 to $74,600.

Introduced in the United States in 1948, the F-Series is currently on its 14th generation, which is all new for the 2021 model year. Some attribute the F-Series popularity to its wide range of configuration options — particularly the F-150. This model offers motorists choices between multiple powertrains, including an all 430-horsepower new hybrid engine, as well as 12 performance and appearance packages and seven trim levels. The F-150 also boasts best in class towing and hauling capabilities. Next year, Ford will release the Lightning, the first-ever all-electric F-150.

Click here to read America’s Most Popular Pickups.

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