They May Be Old But They're Not Broken

In these turbulent times, people like to cling to that which is familiar. If data is to be believed, cars are no exception. The inspiration for writing this post came from a short article in the November 2019 issue of Car and Driver on the new Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. In the article, author John Pearley Huffman writes, "Back in 2010, this generation's first full production year, Toyota sold 46,531 4Runners in the U.S. In 2018, 139,694 left dealer lots."

This caught my eye for a number of reasons. Here is a vehicle that has only received the mildest of updates since debuting during Obama's first term. With a starting price of around $34,000 which can rise to over $50,000, it is not exactly something every person or family can afford. Furthermore, there are better family SUVs out there, including Toyota's own Highlander. Fuel economy is a dismal EPA estimated 17 mpg combined. You would think that vehicles in 2020 could do better than that, and that our supposedly socially and environmentally conscious society would shun vehicles that can't.

But, as the numbers prove, that has not been the case. SUV sales have skyrocketed since the end of the Great Recession. I compiled sales figures for four of Toyota's SUVs -- RAV4, Highlander, 4Runner, and Sequoia -- going back to the year 2000. Every one with the exception of the Sequoia has exceeded their sales record from pre-recession days back when cheap gas and easy credit were taken for granted.

And it's not just Toyota that is riding this wave. The current generation Nissan Frontier dates back to 2005 and holds the distinction of being the oldest U.S. consumer vehicle in continuous production. Can you remember what you were doing in 2005? Regardless, the Frontier had its second best sales year ever in 2018 with 79,646 total sales. Sales figures for 2019 slid slightly to 72,369.

Finally, I'd like to bring some attention to the Dodge Challenger. In the 12 years the Challenger has been on sale, both of its competitors, the Ford Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro, have each received a facelift, a redesign, and another facelift. The Dodge has soldiered on with only some minor updates and a barely noticeable facelift over the same time span.

Challengers regularly finish last in comparison tests with Mustangs and Camaros, but perhaps that misses the point. While all three could be considered muscle cars back in 2008, the Mustang and Camaro have evolved to become more like sports cars. Take a look at the new Camaro ZL1 1LE and the Mustang Shelby GT500. With their carbon fiber wings and splitters, they're just a few numbers and sponsorship decals away from taking part in a Trans Am race. While Chevy and Ford fight each other on race tracks, the Challenger is comfortable remaining a big, comfy boulevard cruiser. That seems to be fine for Challenger owners. Like the 4Runner, Challenger sales hit their peak in 2018 with 66,716 units. It actually outsold the Camaro by more than 12,000 units in 2019.

What does this prove? If anything, it proves that there are lots of people out there who shy away from the digitized future of automobiles. The 4Runner, the Frontier, and the Challenger are simple machines with simple purposes. One is a go-anywhere off roader, one is an affordable, no-nonsense compact pickup truck, and one is a muscle car with a capital M. They each have their audience that knows exactly what it wants, and familiarity most likely keeps that audience coming back again and again.