America loves trucks, but a funny thing happened following the pandemic: midsize truck sales fell. There are many reasons why this happened, including some related to the pandemic, though the dominance of one truck still played a big part. That’s over. The midsize truck is clearly back.
The Morning Dump will not be swayed by one year of data, but the trendlines are clear. I view the pandemic as a blip and not a trend. Hyundai looks at it the same way and will be jumping out of the relatively calm pond of the compact pickup truck market into far more treacherous waters.
There’s now more than one year of data on European sales, and it’s become even clearer that Tesla is shrinking into almost a non-entity. Some of that is due to Chinese automakers, and there’s yet another one to compete with, and it has an incredible name.
What’s left? Oh, right, Škoda has been competing in motorsports for 125 years, and so they’re celebrating with a very special car.
Who Will Challenge King Tacoma?
Everyone knows the truck market is large in the United States, and full-size pickup trucks never seem to waver. Just last year, the market saw a 4.7% year-over-year sales increase in full-size and HD pickup trucks to 2.3 million units, according to TFL Trucks. An analysis by TFL Trucks also shows that, over the same period of time, the midsize truck market grew by 24.4.%.
What is going on here? Some of this, probably, is cost. Midsize trucks are generally cheaper trim-to-trim compared to full-size trucks. In a market where affordability is key, downsizing might make sense for some consumers (although loyalty data shows truck buyers aren’t moving much). Some of this is the chip shortage, which forced automakers to choose between vehicles, and higher-margin full-size trucks usually won that battle.
A lot of this is just timing. Toyota sales were down in 2024 as the automaker swapped from the previous generation truck to the new one. Still, sales were up across most vehicles, with the exception of the Frontier and the Canyon. How much of Jeep’s sales were dealers trying to move 4XE Gladitors before the expiration of the tax credit? That answer will come at the end of Q1 2026.
Just because the Tacoma seems invincible, it doesn’t mean other people aren’t trying to get involved. Ram is going to build a Tacoma fighter, as is Hyundai. The Korean automaker will drop the Santa Cruz compact truck and, in its place, probably use the Kia Tasman as a base for a body-on-frame truck.
There’s an interesting discussion that Automotive News had with former Nissan VP of Product Planning Larry Dominique about just how hard this is to do.
He had a front-row seat as the company spent hundreds of millions struggling to establish the American-made, full-size Titan pickup against the formidable Detroit 3. It ran for 20 years and two generations before Nissan pulled the plug.
“Conquesting is hard,” Dominique said.
If the timing holds, dealers would lack a pickup in their lineup for about two years. The return of Ram to the midsize segment in 2028 with a new generation of the Dakota could further complicate matters for Hyundai.
“General Motors said the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon would grow the segment. They barely did,” Dominique said. “If you bring in 50,000 or 75,000 [Hyundai pickups], are you just going to cannibalize your existing lineup?”
It’ll be fun to watch if Hyundai and Ram can build into this space without just pulling their own customers away from other vehicles. For Ram, this is an obvious risk, though less so for Hyundai.
European Car Sales Down, EVs Ok, Tesla Not Ok
You can thank EVs for keeping the European car market from falling hard this January, as numbers from the ACEA show new car registrations down 3.9% year-over-year, even as the BEV market increased by 19.3%
In January 2026, 154,230 new battery-electric cars were registered, capturing 19.3% of the EU market share. The four largest markets in the EU, which together account for 60% of battery-electric car registrations, delivered mixed results: France (+52.1%) and Germany (+23.8%) recorded strong growth, while Belgium (-11.5%) and the Netherlands (-35.4%) experienced declines.
Hybrids are still the dominant choice, though.
Chinese automakers are on the rise, seemingly gaining a ton where Tesla is falling. Looking at this year, Tesla sales fell to just 8,075 units, and that includes EU + EFTA +UK data. That’s down from 9,945 in 2025 and 18,161 registrations in 2024.
By comparison, SAIC Motor has grown from 16,807 sales in 2024 to 19,354 in January 2026. Even more impressively, BYD has grown from negligible sales in 2024 to 18,242 units in the first month of 2026.
There was always going to be some form of adjustment as Tesla faced more competition, but this fully shows that people don’t view Tesla the same way.
It’s The LEPAS L8
There’s a new luxury-ish brand from Chinese automaker Chery that’ll be selling cars in the UK. It’s called LEPAS, and the first vehicle is the L8 crossover.
What’s with the name?
LEPAS, which combines “Leopard”, “Leap” and “Passion”, has been created to resonate with those seeking authenticity, intelligent design, and a bold, elevated everyday experience. Beyond mobility, it also aims to connect with creative and culturally progressive communities who value craftsmanship, aesthetic integrity, and expressive identity.
Perfect.
Škoda Has Been Racing For 125 Years, So Check This One Out
I didn’t realize this, but Škoda started doing motorcycle races 125 years ago, which goes to show that as soon as someone has a vehicle that can be raced, they’ll race it.
To celebrate this, the Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 customer race car is getting a new look:
This package includes rear polycarbonate windows, crossmember covers for gravel and asphalt, an extra lights bag (if the extra lights are included in the purchase), six magnesium OZ rims in special colours, light engine wiring, an updated central panel, “125 Years” welcome display, and CV joint sleeves.
The anniversary pack is completed by decals in the “125 Years” design, a new Unique Dark Chrome logo on the bonnet, an interior plaque and a cloth car cover bearing the “125 Years Škoda Motorsport” logo. In addition, during the anniversary year each buyer of a new Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 will receive a selection of Škoda Motorsport merchandising items.
Someone please send me a Škoda rally jacket.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
If you are completely removed from the world, you may not have heard the song “Man I Need” from Olivia Deen. This would have been the #1 song on VH1 if it had come out 20 years ago.
The Big Question
What would be the funniest brand to come out with a midsize truck in 2028?
Top photo: Ford, GM, Hyundai, Nissan
Three words: Chrysler Pacifica Pickup
What passes for ‘mid-size’ in 2026 was a full-size pickup just a few decades ago.
I don’t know about you, but ‘mid-size’ does not describe any Colorado (esp. ZR2/Trail Boss models) I have ever been next to in traffic.
Vehicle size has gotten out of control, this issue seems to have been created by the manufacturers themselves – only to ‘fix’ this own-invented problem by flooding the market with ‘smaller’ trucks.
Sounds like a certain dementia-ridden Oompa-Loompa we all know.
Has anyone said this yet?
Datsun Pickup
Funniest brand for a midsize pickup in 2028 would have to be Jaguar. Coming out and saying our rebrand/rebuild didn’t really work and we really need to sell something, so anyway here’s a rebadged Ford Ranger.
TBQ: I’d like to see Lincoln bedazzle a Ranger and revive the Blackwood
The yin and yang of the North American pickup market, Toyota cannot seem to crack the full size pickup market, and no one other than Toyota can crack the midsize pickup market.
Instead of worrying about the full-size market, Toyota just made Tacomas as expensive a full-size trucks were last year.
The Gladiator 4xE never came to market, so it’s definitely not Jeep trying o move those.
TBQ: Caterham.
“Simplify, then add a 5-foot bed in the back.”
The new mid size trucks are about the same size as full size 25 years ago that might be part of it.
VAG has some brands that would be funny they if the came out with a mid size truck. Obviously vw has and had in many markets but a Porsche , Lamborghini, Bentley or even Audi, would be funny but not shocking. Mercedes already sold modified a Nissan truck that’s pretty funny on its own.
I hope the lepas has a leopard pouncing somewhere. Chery has come a long way in recent years. Selling a leopard that is more of a jag then jag to the Brits is hilarious.
I keep saying that the Volkswagen Amarok would crush it as a badge engineered upscale Porsche or Audi midsize truck.
I know that people say that the Chinese would eat all other automakers lunch in the US if they were allowed to enter the market, but then I see the marketing for something like the LEPAS and I just have to wonder if that’s true.
China evolves quick but one thing the haven’t quite is naming things. They have a ministry that registers names and sometimes trade marks for companies with suggested type of goods. It’s a spreadsheet of thousands if not 10s of thousands names. It leaks sometimes after a Chinese company sends it to someone asking for help picking a name. Some absolutely hilarious stuff. No doubt lepas was on that probably with a strange suggested catgory fashion maybe ? But probably something more unhinged. Someone tried to do a clever backronym. Maybe the same person that was consulting. It’s not the worst Chinese company name but why not just leopard.
I’m holding out for YANGWANG to hit our shores. Pass on Leprosy.
Funniest brand for a midsize truck? Pontiac.
“We at GM are excited to bring back a marque that thousands of fans have been asking for! Introducing the new Pontiac Grand Prix truck and its SUV version the Trans Am!”
I’m not in the mid-size market at the moment, used to own one. But I don’t understand anyone buying the current Tacoma over the current GM options.
I agree. The only thing GM has done wrong on their mid-sizers is not offer a version of the I6 turbo diesel that is in their half tons. IT’s hard to sell the benefits of a mid-sizer when there’s a half ton getting 8 -10 mpg better sitting on the same lot.
Make it a five banger and shoot for as close to 40 mpg as possible
Just realized I replied to the wrong comment. But my point still stands, and so does yours!
The reason to buy a Tacoma over the GM midsize (or any other midsize) is that in a decade and 150,000 miles from now the Tacoma is somehow still worth what you paid for it and the GM is worth maybe 25% of its initial purchase price.
(I don’t have a dog in this hunt but do look at used pickup prices…)
Maybe compared to new, but the GM midsize trucks hold their value quite well on the used market from my experience. I drove a Colorado for 3 years/30k miles and sold it for $500 more than I bought it for.
Strange to mention the mid-size truck market and the only time the #2 best selling mid-size is mentioned is in a quote. The Chevy Colorado and its GMC Canyon platform-mate are selling rather well and have won a bunch of awards against the Taco. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that, once again, this site downplays the success of a GM vehicle.
The Taco sold 274,000 units in 2025 taking the top position, but the Colorado and Canyon together sold 144,000 units and they are a better and cheaper truck compared to the Toyota. The Ranger, Frontier and Gladiator sold between 70,000 and 55,000 units.
So, despite being, as you claim, “better and cheaper”, they’re still roughly half the sales of the Toyota after all sales combined together. Individually, they’re in the same range as the two Ford’s and Stellantis.
I think it speaks more highly to the challenge of conquest that Matt raises.
Toyota might actually get some significant conquest from Ford/et al. if they came in with a mini-Taco.
The Colorado sells almost 110k last year. That’s a good jump above the rest of the field.
And GM has said they aren’t chasing market share. That’s one of the reasons they didn’t release a long bed or regular/extended cab version of the truck. They aren’t going for those lower margin configurations nor are they interested in stealing sales from the Silverado. They definitely want the Colorado and Canyon to be more “lifestyle” trucks versus commercial or fleet buys.
And if there is indeed a challenge for conquest buys, a whole lot of that is because the automotive press has elevated all Toyota products to an obnoxious level.
Toyota clearly doesn’t have to worry so much of taking sales from their full-size as GM/Ford do.
“And if there is indeed a challenge for conquest buys, a whole lot of that is because the automotive press has elevated all Toyota products to an obnoxious level.”
Oh please. All Toyotas elevated, huh? By the press as a whole you say? Neither this Tacoma nor the prior gen are reviewed very well. Tell me how often a Camry, Corolla, RAV4 and Highlander are topping comparison test wins and getting on the 10Best list. They sell because they provide customers what they want despite automotive press’s general lukewarm impressions
The Tacoma sells because unlike GM they didn’t build a badly uncompetitive pickup in the early aughts and then pull it from the market in shame for multiple years. They stayed there and they generally didn’t burn their customers. That builds brand equity and it takes time for others to make headway against it.
This post is hilarious when you factor in the trainwreck that the new Taco and most of the new Toyota trucks have been in terms of quality and reliability.
Thanks for proving my point – the masses are so blinded by decades of the press endlessly praising Toyota, that people now – including yourself – can’t see the hot garbage they are making now.
“trainwreck that the new Taco”
It ain’t great, but you’re missing the point. The priors were very reliable and built loyalty and were also reviewed poorly by the automotive press. Time will tell how bad the current Taco is and how the market responds and whether Toyota is burning their earned reputation. It’s early in the model cycle, but the deficiencies are definitely getting noticed.
You didn’t address the lukewarm critical praise for Toyota’s big sellers across multiple segments have had over the past decade +. That directly refutes your repeated claim of “press endlessly praising Toyota”. Try again please.
You also didn’t address the repeated pattern of GM releasing garbage then pulling it from the market or changing the name in the hopes that customers will forget. Cavalier, Cobalt, Cruze? First gen Colorado? Lumina/Malibu? Instead you make cute little throwaway comments.
I don’t like accusing people of being mentally deficient, but the more I’ve witnessed the reasoning supposed adults use in this country of late, the easier the accusation is to make.
Not that this has anything to do with you. Of course not.
But just because the PRIOR was reliable, does NOT mean the current one is. That’s the problem and why the “toyota tax” is such a joke. It ain’t 1997 no more, folks. It is very obvious when you are talking to someone stuck in the past, because they still think Toyota has impeccable reliability, while also thinking other brands don’t. Get with the times. This ain’t your granny’s 4th gen Camry.
Even in comparison tests where the Camry doesn’t win, it is almost always because it lacks driver excitement, but they ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, go on and on about that “legendary Toyota quality”. One of the top tenets of journalism is not to ASSUME anything, and yet time and time again, automotive “journalists” assume that just because a model from 15 years ago was bullet-proof, that some new model today will be as well. That’s not how it works.
Oh, and by the way, the Cobalt went out of production over 15 YEARS ago. The Cavalier ended production over 2 DECADES ago. As I said above, it is clear when talking to someone stuck in the past.
“just because the PRIOR was reliable, does NOT mean the current one is”
Never claimed it was. I said the Tacoma built a reputation over the years and that perceptions take time to change. If Toyota burns its reputation with their new trucks and the GM twins are superior (and they might well be–I find them more appealing), it will take more than 2 model years for this to be realized.
“they ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS, go on and on about that “legendary Toyota quality”
I just Googled “2025 Camry review” and this is the first one that popped up. Reliability and legendary Toyota quality are not mentioned even once. Are you SURE that they ALWAYS (and you mean ALWAYS) go ON and ON about it? Are you sure?
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a60499379/2025-toyota-camry-drive/
“One of the top tenets of journalism is not to ASSUME anything, and yet time and time again, automotive “journalists” assume”
Agreed, journalists shouldn’t assume. But C/D, Motortrend, Edmunds, et al are not journalists. Not in the least. They are short term product critics. But my question is, if you feel the press is failing, do you have data for your assertions? Do you have a source that shows that component failure rate in Toyotas is 1) higher than before and 2) no longer better than the competition? I’m not talking about scuttlebutt on the forums and other subjective impressions. I’m talking about data. Actual problem rates. Percentages. Real information. Without it, you’re making assumptions.
“Oh, and by the way, the Cobalt went out of production over 15 YEARS ago. The Cavalier ended production over 2 DECADES ago. As I said above, it is clear when talking to someone stuck in the past.”
Well, the Cruze was cancelled 2 years ago. Is that living in the past? The Malibu just died, after GM made sure it looked and felt like the cheap cash-on-the-hood fleet queen that it was. The Trailblazer is now a Chinese and Korean assembled mini crossover rather than American-assembled SUV. GMs flagship SUV pushrod V8 is still coming apart. Not sure I’m living in the past, but if I am it may be because it strongly resembles the present.
You’ve crossed the “clueless fanboy” realm and landed deep into nutjob territory. Congrats! You can keep your “those aren’t journalists” nonsense if it makes you feel good. You can also pretend that a single review reflects the reality that “reliability” is somehow not repeated over and over again in every Toyota review by journalists. Also spare me your list of problems when in just the last 3 years Toyota has proven they can’t even get the most basic of basic manufacturing done right – nearly 400,000 Tacos recalled because of welding debris. And when it isn’t welding debris, then its debris from machining the blocks on their V6. Or oil leaks. Or buggy software. Or drive shafts. I can readily admit that no company is perfect and EVERY car company has problems, which is why I laugh at the thought that Toyota is producing anything particularly better than anyone else these days. Enjoy your time machine and rose-colored glasses if you want to believe otherwise.
Got it. No data, just cherry-picked anecdotes. Serious reading comprehension problems and unbelievably deficient reasoning skills employed to defend an entrenched viewpoint.
All obvious from your first comment but it’s been fun to see how far it could provoke it. It’s, um…interesting. Yes, we’ll go with that.
Please go on claiming we don’t have automotive journalists and your lord and savior Toyota is the end-all and be-all of automotive products. There must have been a mess that needed to be cleaned up when you heard Crown was potentially coming to the US. Pathetic.
It’s hard to say because you only included the size of the market for full-sizes, but omitted it for the mid-sizers. If it grew 24% on sales of 2 million that’s pretty darn good. If it grew from 4 to 5 trucks then a 25% increase isn’t that noteworthy.
Fair, it was about 660k trucks.
Thanks!
All these small and mid-size trucks are pretty big. I long for a Luv, S-10, Ranger sized truck
I swear that’s how the Chinese will make inroads here.
A BMW pickup truck would be hilarious. Even more so if they base it on the MINI platform and sell it both ways. though of course one of the cutest pickups ever built was Mini-based.
https://www.tradeclassics.com/auctions/british-leyland/1980-british-leyland-mini-pickup-mini-95/
Holy cow. Sign me up for a Mini-based pickup.
A Maserati badge-engineered RAM, with the same minimal effort distinguishing the two as was used to split the Dodge Hornet/Alfa Tonale.
And when you stop at traffic lights, the infotainment screen can update you on the great finance deals available at your local CDJR showroom. Win, win, win!
Obviously Mini, right? Imagine a pint-sized pickup designed for the sort of self important person who buys a mini. It would be hysterical, reminiscent of their attempts at weird coupes
“Midsize”: a full-sized pickup from the ’90s/early 2000s.
Funny brand: Yugo?
Interesting, I was just looking at this topic.
Midsize trucks are up but only by 61K vs 2021.
Percentage of total trucks sales remains the same at 21%.
For full-size GM leads the way as normal with 42% market share with Ford at 37%.
Toyota dominates mid-size with 42% of sales with GM a distant 22% of sales.
Total truck sales GM (35%) and Ford (34%) are neck in neck
I don’t know why they run these pickup truck articles. They never get any comments.
They’re long form commentary. You can just stop, then pickup where you left off later.
Beautiful. LUV it!
Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed.
Not hard to do when they short sheet it to five feet. 😉
Haha, thanks for picking up what I’m putting down, I was trying to figure out how to cram that aspect of the joke in there.
IRL an 8ft bed is just not that useful in daily life. It’s clutch when I’m picking up lumber or helping with moving, but those things don’t happen that often. It was just what was available when I was buying.
I want at least 6-7 ft bed to sleep in when camping. If one only needs 4ft under a bed cover, that is a trunk and one is not needing a truck.
You’re welcome. Yep an eight foot bed is really just good for yards of dirt and then you can easily overload your truck.
Like 4jim said, six to seven feet is the sweet spot.
I’m right there with ya. I wish people had opinions on trucks but they just don’t.
Crickets I tell ya. Crickets. 😀
I wanna see Porsche make a ute, but using the 911 as the platform.
I want a Ute where the bed is in the FRONT, like those cargo bikes.
Hey Bishop, wanna try your hand at designing this abomination?
Maybe part of Smart’s North American relaunch will have a mid size truck!
The Smart Four-by-Four (denoting bed size, not drivetrain)
LEPAS. That purple is gorgeous. That portmanteau is horrid.
I mean, if parts start falling off it, it’ll be very aptly named.
I am running late in my L8.
…because leprosy.
What an unfortunate name.
The obvious joke is that they’re selling it in the UK following the suggestion of the French, who turned it down so many times they thought it was an affectionate nickname.
“Le Pass”.
“LEPAS, which combines “Leopard”, “Leap” and “Passion”, has been created to….”
…replace Jaguar.
It even looks like a Jaguar.
Ah yes. JAGUAR, which combines “Jackal”, “Guacamole”, and “Arby’s”…
Now I’m hungry.
Feels like an Arby’s night
COTD. No Contest
until truck prices come back to some sense of normalcy (IE, a lot cheaper than a similarly sized SUV), they aren’t back.