The United States has had a decades-long love affair with small trucks, with Ford car sales topping the charts for the forty-second year in a row in 2023, represented by its “F” truck, followed by the Chevrolet “Silverado” in second place, and then the “Ram” in third place, Toyota's best-selling car. , “Rao-4”, enters the competitive race in its broadest form.

The fourth-placed “Rao-4” compact crossover succeeded in further closing the sales gap between it and the “Ram” pickup truck from Stellandis, to 10,000 units from about 133,000 last year in 2020. 8.8% growth overall. Sales for 2023 compared to 2022.

“Sales of the Toyota RAV4 show that people want smaller, cheaper SUVs, and the fact that there is a hybrid version is very popular with American consumers,” said Cox Automotive executive analyst Michelle Krebs.

Evan Drury of Edmonds points out that the RAV4 and the sixth-selling Honda CR-V offer something completely different from traditional American pickups. Amid rising interest rates and economic uncertainty, smaller, more economical vehicles fit the lifestyles and budgets of many Americans.

A Motor Insights report indicates that automakers in the U.S. will sell 15.6 million vehicles in 2023, a 12.3% increase over the previous year. That compares with more than 17 million cars sold in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic turned the global car market upside down.