Full-size pickup trucks absolutely dominate American roads, and Detroit-based brands historically dominate the segment. It's been like this for decades, but Toyota is on the cusp of something extraordinary. Tundra sales are growing, and so is its market share.
In fact, S&P Global says the Tundra market share has surpassed Ram. The switch occurred in January 2024, and thus far it doesn't appear to be a glitch. Data through April 2024 shows Tundra market share cresting at 15.3 percent, whereas Ram is below 10 percent. Toyota isn't far from the GMC Sierra either, which has climbed slightly since January to land around 17 percent.
Looking at the chart, we see Tundra's share rose significantly following the debut of the current generation truck for the 2022 model year. It held steady in the 10-percent range until this year when it spiked, and we can see that reflected in Toyota's sales numbers so far. The Tundra is up 31.3 percent since January, while Ram is down 20 percent—a statistic also represented on that chart by the green line nose-diving like a Cessna without wings.
There are some caveats to mention here. Ram (along with Ford and General Motors) doesn't break out full-size truck sales by model. We're looking at figures for the half-ton Ram 1500, three-quarter ton 2500, and the one-ton 3500 combined. Toyota only offers the Tundra in the half-ton group, so we don't have a true apples-to-apples comparison. Also, Ram has an updated 1500 coming in hot for 2025, so buyers may be holding off on a purchase until the new truck arrives.
And while Toyota is ahead in market share, Ram still has more overall sales—179,526 through the first half of the year versus 78,454 for the Tundra. But again, Ram's numbers include 2500 and 3500 pickups. A half-ton comparison means the sales gap is closer.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out as the updated Ram 1500 reaches dealerships. With the Hemi V-8 now gone from the lineup, will brand loyalists adopt the twin-turbocharged inline-six engine or shop elsewhere? In any case, Toyota is making some history by taking a bigger slice of pickup truck pie in the US.
