The auto sales reports for the first half of 2024 are in and one off-road SUV has been ascending the mountain.
The Ohio-built Jeep Wrangler and Michigan-made Ford Bronco are the most direct competitors in the mainstream midsize off-road SUV segment, both with removable roofs, while the hardtop Toyota 4Runner is the only other model in the class.
Jeep Wrangler deliveries have fallen off this year, despite the model’s 2024 redesign, and have slipped 9% compared to last year to 77,204.
That’s still far ahead of the Ford Bronco, which fell by an even larger 14% to 50,152. Ford in January announced plans to increase Bronco production, but it actually manufactured fewer trucks in June than January.
The real surprise is the Toyota 4Runner, which saw sales increase by a whopping 31.2% to 66,550 as production of the current generation wraps up.
WHO IS WINNING THE 2024 U.S. TRUCK SALES WAR, GM OR FORD? THE ANSWER: BOTH?
Toyota is launching an all-new 4Runner this fall after 15 years, but it’s clear that customers still can’t get enough of the now-classic Japanese import, which is famous for its reliability and residual value.
This trio has a newcomer to contend with, however, and it’s also from Toyota.
The 2024 Land Cruiser is on sale now and 3,461 were delivered through June as shipments begin to ramp up. The model is smaller than the previous version and closer in both size and price to top 4Runner trims.
But will there be another entry in the mid-size off-road SUV segment soon?
A Nissan executive this spring said that a reboot of the Xterra SUV is being “very actively considered” and a recent promotional video teasing future products appeared to show an Xterra-type vehicle.
It would likely be based on the Nissan Frontier pickup, but surely won’t arrive by the end of this year, so it’s still very much a three horse race for the 2024 best-seller crown.
