2011 Pickup Truck Sales Recap

We know, we know. It's already February, and we haven't gotten around to wrapping up the 2011 sales numbers. Here's the complete breakdown of pickup truck sales, truck by truck, in the U.S. (Sorry, Canada.)

We've broken down the three segments — midsize, half-ton and heavy-duty — and shown exactly how their sales numbers compare. We should note we have not made this a "light-truck" sales data report but instead kept it as pure as possible, listing only registered and recorded pickup truck sales. Also, we've tallied the total sales of pickups by each parent company to see who was the pickup truck champ of 2011. Here's  a hint: no real surprises.

HALF-TON SEGMENT

The half-ton winner was the Ford F-150 by just over 25,000 units. GM fans will note that if GMC and Chevy sales numbers were combined, the outcome would be considered quite a smack-down. Of special note, the F-150 sold well more than half of its light-duty trucks with a V-6 engine and most of that was the premium-priced EcoBoost 3.5-liter twin-turbo. Clearly, having a good selection of powerful, fuel-efficient engines helped Ford sales.

HEAVY-DUTY SEGMENT

The heavy-duty segment — which includes three-quarter-ton, 1-ton, and Class 4 and 5 chassis cab sales — wasn't even a contest this year. Super Dutys dominated again. Of course, GM trucks don't have a medium-duty competitor against Ram HD and Super Duty, but that could change in the future. Of note, whereas Ford and GM HD trucks still sold a good number of their vehicles with the gas engine, Ram HD buyers are practically all opting for the Cummins.

MIDSIZE SEGMENT

No real surprises here, either. With the Ford Ranger gone for 2012 and a new Chevy Colorado (and most likely a new GMC Canyon) on the way to U.S. shores, there is bound to be a nasty fight for incremental sales among the remaining midsize trucks. But there is no doubt about who dominated the segment, especially after we just tested all the new ones in our Midsize Shootout. Tacoma is king.

PICKUP MANUFACTURERS

Of all the manufucturers that make pickup trucks — not just light trucks, but actual pickup trucks — Ford just edged out GM by less than 1 percent of total sales.