Could the Ford Maverick Disrupt the Bigger Truck Trend?

Over the past few years, truck sales have skyrocketed throughout the entire United States. In multiple states such as North Dakota and Wyoming, pickup trucks currently account for more than 40% of new vehicle sales. Pickup trucks as a vehicle segment as a whole are certainly increasing significantly in popularity, but large full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks are really the models that have been carrying the pickup truck market as the market share of pickup trucks in the auto industry has steadily increased throughout the U.S. Could the Ford Maverick disrupt the big truck trend?

In the United States overall, full-size pickup trucks accounted for more than 16% of all new vehicles sold throughout the entire country in the third quarter of 2020. After the COVID-19 pandemic turned the auto industry—and the whole world—upside down, vehicle sales as a whole plummeted due to safety concerns, forced dealership lot shutdowns, and affordability issues as a result of the mid-pandemic recession.

The auto industry took a major hit in the first and second quarters of 2020 due to the onset and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has since largely adapted and recovered despite the fact that COVID-19 numbers continue to spike higher than ever before in the United States. 

Between the third quarter of 2019 and the third quarter of 2020, sales of compact and mid-size pickup trucks fell by 7%. Sales of full-size pickup trucks, on the other hand, fell by only just over 1% between those same quarters—which means that sales numbers of full-size pickup trucks remained largely stable throughout 2019 and 2020, despite how difficult the pandemic made auto sales throughout the United States. Sales numbers don’t lie. There is no doubt that full-size pickups have been steadily taking over the pickup truck market in the United States. 

Are Pickup Trucks Getting Bigger? 

It has always been clear that trucks are the vehicles that take up the most space across all vehicle segments on the mainstream auto market, but the idea that trucks seem to be getting bigger overall is not in your imagination. 

Full-size pickup trucks are not only becoming more popular in the U.S., but they are also getting even bigger. Extra-large, heavy-duty pickup trucks that weigh ½ ton, ¾ ton, or even a full 1 ton are becoming more popular and therefore more abundant on the mainstream auto market. In the two decades since 2000, the average weight of full-size pickup trucks has increased by more than 700 pounds. 

As a vehicle segment, pickup trucks have been steadily increasing in size, weight, capability, and price. In fact, full-size pickup trucks have become so expensive that many drivers on a budget are unable to afford even the most basic model of some of the most popular larger full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks on the mainstream auto market. 

What is the Ford Maverick? 

The big truck trend is still going strong, but it might not last for long. The 2022 Ford Maverick is an all-new compact pickup truck that is expected to disrupt the bigger truck trend in the United States and shift consumer demand toward smaller pickup trucks instead. 

The Ford Maverick has not yet debuted, so there is no official information available about this truck other than the fact that it will be a compact pickup truck and that it will be released as a 2022 model. 

However, there are plenty of rumors that are already flying about the 2022 Ford Maverick. This compact pickup truck is expected to have the unibody, transverse-engine architecture of some of Ford’s most popular crossover SUV models and will likely be a four-door, crew-cab pickup truck. It will also likely be equipped with an upscale interior and Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system. As for its price, the Ford Maverick is also expected to be far more affordable than the most popular full-size pickup trucks that are currently available on the market. 

For many drivers, the 2022 Ford Maverick might present a very tempting alternative to a full-size pickup truck because of its affordability and its similarity to crossover SUVs—which currently comprise the most popular vehicle segment in the United States. The release of this compact pickup truck could very well disrupt the big truck trend and decrease full-size truck sales figures throughout the 2022 model year. 

When Will the Ford Maverick Debut? 

The Ford Maverick is expected to hit the mainstream auto market for the 2022 model year. This means that it will likely debut in the second half of 2021—although rumors are already abundant about what the Maverick will look like, its power and capability, the features and amenities it will have, etc. etc.

If you’re as interested in this all-new compact truck as so many other American drivers are, stay tuned for more information coming soon about the 2022 Ford Maverick compact pickup truck.

Tags: compact, mavericks, Trucks
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