F-Series Sales Outpaced the Competition in 2016

F-Series Achieves 40 Years of Sales Dominance for Ford with Best Year Since 2005

By now, we’re used to Ford’s F-Series pickups remaining at the top of the sales charts. But 2016 goes down as a truly remarkable year for the venerable truck line. Not only does it mark 40 consecutive years as the top selling pickup in America, but 35 years as the best selling vehicle – period. But 2016 put an exclamation point on those achievements.

Ford sold 87,512 F-Series pickups in December 2016 alone, up 2.7% over 2015. That’s the best December sales month since 2005, and the 3rd best month in 20 years. For the year, a total of 820,799 units sold marks an impressive 5.2% increase. Notably, that’s also the best sales year for the F-Series since 2005.

Meanwhile, the competition didn’t fare quite as well.  Chevrolet’s Silverado sales dipped 13.8% in December to 54,272 units. The GMC Sierra dropped even more, down 15.1% to 23,290 units. Dodge’s Ram fared better, enjoying an increase of 15% in December (47,556 units) and 9% for the year (489,418).

The remaining two full size trucks on the market, the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan, also enjoyed a bit of sales success. Tundra sales were up 7.5% (11,556) and Titan sales jumped 332% (4,396). Still, the F-Series’ dominance on total units sold is undeniable and (at this point) untouchable.

Incentives once again drove sales increases through November and December. Ford raised incentives on the F-Series 34% over 2015, versus 22% for Dodge and 14% for GM. Overall aggressiveness in regards to incentives protects market share on these trucks. And with their high profit margins, taking a little off the top doesn’t hurt too much.

And speaking of market share, it’s another emphasis point on the F-Series’ dominance. Ford retained 41.1% of market sales in December. GM came in second with 25.5% for the Silverado and 11% for the Sierra. Dodge finished third with 22.4%.

So there you go — another year, another dominating effort by the F-Series. And all signs point to more of the same in 2017, especially with a refreshed F-150 on the way this fall.

Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.