When you’re the best at something, there is never a shortage of challengers working to take your spot, and lately, Ford may be suffering a bit from its success.
Ford F-Series trucks have been America’s best-selling truck brand for 49 consecutive years, and in 2025, it wrapped up its 44th year of being the country’s best-selling vehicle overall. But the competition is coming.
While Ford sold more than 800,000 F-Series trucks last year, U.S. pickup sales totaled about 3 million in 2025, with the market expected to grow to 3.1 million this year, according to Hedges & Co.
U.S. top-selling pickup trucks in 2025
- Ford F-Series (including F-150, F-250 SuperDuty, F-150 Lightning): 828,832 units sold
- Chevrolet Silverado: 580,368 units sold
- Dodge Ram 1500: 374,059 units sold
- GMC Sierra: 356,218 units sold
- Toyota Tacoma: 274,638 units sold
- Ford Maverick: 155,051 units sold
Source: U.S. News & World Report
Toyota Tacoma sold a record number of units in 2025, Good Car Bad Car noted, with sales rising 42%, and other car companies also saw significant growth.
Mark Delaney, an analyst with Goldman Sachs, had a simple question for Ford CEO Jim Farley during the company’s earnings call last week: “How do you see the (pickup) segment evolving?”
Jim Farley explains how Ford “future-proofs” pickup truck landscape
Ford CEO Jim Farley acknowledged the obvious when he said the pickup market is broadening as more car buyers move into trucks, and he also said the company expects that trend to continue.
“Car buyers are moving into trucks, and even utility buyers are moving into trucks,” Farley said during the earnings call. “We think that trend will continue, especially with the type of packaging we will be able to provide. It worked on Maverick, and we are really excited about the UEV pickup and its packaging to appeal not… So we see the pickup market growing across segments and price points on the retail side.”
So what is the company doing to ensure it remains the top choice in the expanding market? It is offering more choice.
“We like to future-proof our truck business,” Farley explained. “To do that, we offer customers more choice on the powertrain side and tie the powertrains to other benefits truck customers want, like hybrids with Pro Power Onboard. Protecting the franchise is not just about having an affordable electric pickup or hybrids throughout our lineup; it is also about having a flow of customers that move through our lineup over time.”
CFO Sherry House echoed Farley’s comments about customers moving through the F-Series lineup. “On the commercial side, we have commercial buyers that purchase pickup trucks from Maverick size all the way up to our F-750,” House said. “We are seeing positive early indicators. Demand is strong, and we are making sure we have offerings from the very beginning — Maverick all the way up to the higher pickup trucks.”
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And the company’s strategy isn’t just working in the U.S.
The Ford Ranger is the number one or number two most popular pickup in markets around the world, including Thailand, Africa, the Middle East, and South America, and Farley says the company is also future-proofing in those segments with different powertrains and more affordable options.
“This is critical because we are seeing new competition in those markets from the Chinese. Our pickup strategy is global — we are future-proofing it against oil shocks, powertrain shifts, and price points,” Farley said.
Ford brings back employee pricing to boost sales
When it comes to affordability, last week Ford brought back employee pricing, one of its most popular incentive programs, which gives the general public the same discounts that Ford employees enjoy.
The “American Value. For American Values” promotion offers most new 2025 and 2026 Ford and Lincoln vehicles with the discount.
It is a strategy that has worked well in the past to bring customers through the door. The deal began Friday, May 1, and runs through the July 4 weekend.
Cranking up the incentive spending helped Ford tremendously last year, as buyers weary about the threat of tariffs were happy to take discounts on vehicles they were eyeing.
Last May, Ford reported a 14.7% share in the U.S., a nearly 2% year-over-year increase.
“A lot of times in this industry we fight for tenths of share, and to have a 1.9% increase year over year was very strong,” said Ford Blue and Model e President Andrew Frick. He said incentives are what drove the increase.
Ford said its total sales rose in the June quarter by about 7x the overall industry rate and that it was the top-selling brand in the U.S. during the first half of the year.
“Employee pricing for all was easy to understand and resonated with customers,” said Ford U.S. Sales Director Rob Kaffl at the time.
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