We all love a good party. Getting together with friends, family members and fellow enthusiasts to celebrate something special is always fun. And in the spirit of organizing a festive, extraordinary event, we suggest that everyone start planning an important birthday party now.
In about five years’ time, it will be time to stand shoulder-to-shoulder across the nation – smiling widely, enjoying a John Philip Sousa march, and holding sparklers in-hand – as we commemorate the 100th birthday of the pickup truck!
Why, you ask, should we hold such a party? And why on Earth should we start planning now? It’s easy. The pickup is an iconic vehicle. It changed America, and it changed the way America drives. So, on its special birthday, it deserves our very best.
Ford offered the first fully factory-assembled pickup truck in 1925. Then Chevrolet and Dodge began pickup production of their own in the 1930s.1 Wartime production restrictions ended in the 1940s, and then pickup production really took off.
A couple of decades later, interest in pickups persisted even as the oil crisis of the 1970s turned consumers’ attention to smaller, more fuel-efficient compact trucks. In 1977, though, Americans went back to bigger models when the Ford F-150 became the best-selling truck in the country.2
Since then, the pickup’s popularity has grown immensely. By 2019, annual U.S. sales of pickup trucks had surged to more than three million units.2 Last year’s top-selling pickup in the United States was the Ford F-Series, followed by the Dodge Ram and Chevrolet Silverado.3
As far as we’re concerned, there’s no time to lose. We want America’s centennial celebration for the pickup truck to be as grand, exuberant and enthusiastic as the modern pickup is useful, bold and comfortable. Happy 95th birthday to the pickup this year. We can’t wait to start planning your 100th!
Sources:
1 Cobb, J.C. (July 3, 2018). The Pickup Truck’s Transformation from Humble Workhorse to Fancy Toy. Smithsonian magazine. Retrieved from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/pickup-trucks-transformation-from-humble-workhorse-to-fancy-toy-180969523/.
2 Davis, G. (Feb. 13, 2017). History of the Pickup Truck. American Cowboy. Retrieved from: https://www.americancowboy.com/lifestyle/history-pickup-truck.
3 Wagner, I. (Jan. 23, 2020). Pickup truck sales in the U.S. between 2015 and 2019. Statista.com. Retrieved from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/746742/number-of-new-pickup-sales-in-the-united-states/.
4 Wagner, I. (Feb. 13, 2020). The best-selling light trucks in the United States in 2019. Statista.com. Retrieved from: https://www.statista.com/statistics/204473/best-selling-trucks-in-the-united-states-from-january-to-october-2011/.
About Exeter
Exeter Finance LLC is a non-prime auto finance company headquartered in Irving, Texas. The company partners with franchised and independent auto dealers throughout the country to make car ownership a reality for consumers. For more information, call our Dealer Operations Group at 1-855-4EXETER (855-439-3837).
