Pickup truck buyers: 'This is what I need' during coronavirus pandemic

Attitudes of pickup truck owners have shifted in a big way with COVID-19, based on a new study from CarGurus.com.

"We learned how the pandemic may have helped to spur pickup truck purchases," said Madison Gross, director of customer insights at the automotive research and shopping site.

Part of the reason is people have time to do more home improvement projects and they need a vehicle to haul bulky stuff. If people had been pondering a truck, they pulled the trigger.

"According to the study, 26% of pandemic truck buyers said they hadn’t intended to buy one before, yet they opted to do so. Younger shoppers helped fuel this demand, noting that trucks offered a fun escape and a way to treat themselves, and stimulus checks helped them make these purchases," Gross told the Free Press. "Given the higher price point that trucks tend to carry compared to other categories and the overall economic climate, it was interesting to see this trend towards more expensive vehicles."

Pickup sales drive huge profits for automakers.

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The study surveyed 31% midsize truck owners, 55% full-size truck owners and 14% heavy-duty truck owners. Shopper behavior shifts can rattle companies during unpredictable times, and billions of dollars are at stake.

Steve Frost, 39, a mortgage company owner, ordered a 2021 Ram 1500 in October sight unseen. It'll mark an end to his years of driving a 2015 GMC Sierra Denali and a 2018 GMC Sierra Denali.

"I've never been a guy to get the same car twice, and then I got the same truck twice. I wanted to do something different. I wanted to break up. It's not them, it's me," Frost said. "So I ordered a Ram. They have that big screen in the middle. I feel like I needed to change my style a little bit, switch it up."

He'll use his $60,000 vehicle to drive to work and take the kids to school. 

"Truthfully, I haven’t even sat in a Dodge Ram before. But I saw that big old screen with all its colors and thought, 'This is what I need.' So I placed an order. I was a free agent, basically five years with the same team, and I thought, 'I'm gonna go into 2021 with a big screen and lots of colors on it.' Really nothing more serious about it than that."

After seeing the truck on the internet and placing the order with a dealer this month, based on a friend's referral, the vehicle is scheduled for delivery in November, he said. "The pandemic certainly solidified the truck-man in me."

Frost, like the majority of pickup owners, said he uses his truck for home improvement and commuting. 

A pickup driver switching brands on a whim is, well, not typical.

"Ram is changing the way people think about what a pickup truck can be," said Mike Koval Jr., head of Ram Brand, FCA, North America.

Pandemic buyers

Frost falls right into the Gen Z/millennial ages of 18 to 39 studied by CarGurus.

They surveyed 1,081 "pandemic buyers," or the people who reported buying a truck from mid-April through mid-September. They compared the findings with their study in February, just before the coronavirus shutdown.

Here's what CarGurus found out about the "pandemic buyers."

• 26% had not planned to get a truck; 15% changed from their plan to buy a car.
• 24% were more likely to be Gen Z or millennials compared with previous truck owners.
• 10% were more likely to live in the suburbs and 30% more likely to live in cities compared with previous truck owners.

Of the buyers, 56% bought used and 44% bought new.

A majority of truck owners said price was the biggest attraction.

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Attitudes about how to use the truck and how to buy it also shifted based on age:

• 40% of Gen Z/millennials had plans for road trips vs. 31% of older buyers.
• 29%  of younger buyers wanted to "treat" themselves vs. 18% of older buyers.
• 24% of younger buyers paid with stimulus check money vs.15% of older buyers.

Overall, two of three truck owners said they would consider switching truck brands if they could save $10,000, which is consistent with earlier findings this year. The study has been done since 2018.

"Affordability continues to be a concern for truck owners," Gross said.

Overall, about one-third said they'll probably or definitely own an electric pickup within 10 years.

Electrified youth

The study showed interest in battery-electric trucks has remained constant between 2020 surveys, reflecting an eagerness to adopt new technology for buyers 18 to 39:

• 18% vs. 10% older say they'll probably or definitely go electric in the next year.
• 30% vs. 12% older say they'll probably or definitely go electric in the next five years.
• 40% vs. 26% older say they'll probably or definitely go electric in the next 10 years.

Detroit 3 domination

"It was surprising to see how the overall interest in electric pickups was quite high," Gross said. "Given that these are just starting to hit the market, it shows that truck owners, and especially younger ones, are really excited about the next generation and upcoming technology for trucks."

Of the responses, 61% came from owners 39 or younger.

Overall, nearly one in three said they planned to spend more time in their vehicle.

Owners surveyed were 34% Ford, 21% Chevy, 14% Toyota, 10% Dodge, 7% GMC and 14% other. 

“Our trucks ... are interwoven into our American culture," said Mark LaNeve, Ford vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service.

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512 orphoward@freepress.com.Follow her on Twitter@phoebesaid.