January 27, 2022 – In October 2021, over 80 percent of estimated new vehicle sales in the U.S. were SUV and trucks for the first time ever. Over 80 percent! That number continued in November and December and is on pace to do so again in January.
An automaker like Ford doesn’t even sell regular cars anymore, and Chevy only sells two. This is because Americans have preferred SUVs, though, conveniently, SUVs are also more profitable for automakers since they tend to cost more than, say, a Chevy Malibu.
For the entire year in 2021, the number was 78.5 percent, a number that has steadily ticked up for the last decade. In 2010, for example, only 52.7 percent of new-vehicle sales were trucks and SUVs. In 2013, that number was 52.1 percent, according to numbers provided by JD Power. In 2014, it ticked up to 54.6 percent, and hasn’t looked back since.
