SEMA just released its findings on the decline of light-duty trucks and SUV sales compared to last year's numbers. The research was conducted between the top-20 selling pickups from January–April 2008 relative to the same timeframe in 2007. Even though pickup sales have dropped 17% compared to last year's sales, the Toyota Tundra (up 25 percent) and Ford Ranger (up 12 percent) were the only two trucks who didn't suffer any hits from the dropping market.
With the high rise of gas, the SUV market has taken an even bigger hit, with an overall sales drop of 27 percent. As with the truck segment, only two SUV's have persevered: the new Toyota Sequoia (up 17.9 percent) and the Chrysler Aspen (up 11.3 percent).
The CUV market is on the rise, becoming more popular amongst former full-size SUV owners due to the gas pump crunch. Consumers are buying up crossovers at a steady rate. The Ford Edge, Suzuki XL-7, GMC Acadia, and SCION xB top the list. Even the Jeep Patriot sales are up 305 percent, nearly tripling in sales from last year. Who would' a thought?
Source: SEMA