Ford F-Series Top-Selling Personal Vehicles Since 1994
19 May 1999
Ford F-Series Top-Selling Personal Vehicles Since 1994; Polk Analyzes Personal-Name Registration Data of Last Five Years DETROIT, May 19 -- Recent analysis by The Polk Company found
the Ford F-Series pickups to be the top-selling vehicles from 1994 through
1998, based on personal-name registration data. The personal-name
registration segment includes only registrations determined to be for non-
business use vehicles.
Based on Polk's data, the Ford F-Series recorded the largest number of
personal-name registrations each year for the past five years, regardless of
vehicle type. In 1994, 443,956 F-Series trucks were registered for personal
use. This figure grew to a five-year high of 547,482 in 1998.
1998 1997
Model Make Reg. Model Make Reg.
F-Series Ford 547,482 F-Series Ford 482,839
Explorer Ford 357,563 C/K Chevrolet 384,729
Accord Honda 356,418 Accord Honda 348,694
Camry Toyota 349,768 Camry Toyota 314,412
C/K Chevrolet 320,818 Explorer Ford 312,677
1996 1995
Model Make Reg. Model Make Reg.
F-Series Ford 528,031 F-Series Ford 475,148
C/K Chevrolet 390,502 C/K Chevrolet 380,745
Accord Honda 360,098 Explorer Ford 309,072
Explorer Ford 326,154 Accord Honda 304,575
Camry Toyota 316,046 Ranger Ford 276,508
1994
Model Make Reg.
F-Series Ford 443,956
C/K Chevrolet 396,679
Accord Honda 322,650
Ranger Ford 306,959
Camry Toyota 264,766
"By looking at personal-name registrations, we were able to determine what
the most popular vehicle was among the U.S. public the last five years --
regardless of vehicle type," said Glenn Forbes, Polk's vice president of
transportation business development. "Not only did we find that the Ford F-
Series was the favorite, but that light trucks as a whole were well
represented among the preferred vehicles."
Polk's analysis revealed that at least three of the top five vehicle
models registered under personal names each of the past five years had been
trucks. In 1998, the Ford F-Series, Explorer and Chevrolet C/K ranked first,
second and fifth, respectively. In 1995, four of the top five models were
trucks.
"It was not surprising to see the trucks so well represented in the
personal-name segment, based on their overall popularity in recent years,"
added Forbes. "It was interesting, however, to find they had solidly held the
top two positions since 1994."
Also worth noting, Polk found that the percentage of trucks in personal-
name registrations rose dramatically in recent years, growing from 41.13
percent in 1994 to 48.04 percent in 1998. The increase parallels a drop in
car share, from 58.87 percent to 51.96 percent, during that same time period.
Personal Name 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998
Registrations
Light Truck 4,585,117 4,675,666 4,906,420 5,080,164 5,391,447
Car 6,561,735 6,380,573 6,239,880 6,011,739 5,830,377
TOTAL 11,146,852 11,056,239 11,146,300 11,091,903 11,221,824
Personal Name Share
Light Truck 41.13% 42.29% 44.02% 45.80% 48.04%
Car 58.87% 57.71% 55.98% 54.20% 51.96%
"What we're seeing in the personal-name registration data is in direct
correlation to the industry as a whole," Forbes said. "The public is
demanding light trucks and the manufacturers are doing their best to meet
those demands -- producing what the consumer wants to purchase."
Polk provides multi-dimensional intelligence information solutions to
companies as a statistician for the motor vehicle industry; as a direct-
marketing resource; as a supplier of demographic and lifestyle data and
database-marketing services; as a publisher of city directories; and as a data
enabler for geographic information systems. Based in Southfield, Mich., Polk
is a privately held firm founded in 1870 that is expanding globally, currently
operating in the United States, Canada, England, France, Germany, Australia,
Spain, Holland and Costa Rica.
Visit the Polk Web site at http://www.polk.com.
