Pickup prices rise as U.S. buyers crave more luxury
Pickups made up a third of vehicles sold for more than $50,000 last year.
DETROIT — Heated and cooled seats. Backup cameras. Panoramic glass roofs.
Not exactly what springs to mind when you think of a pickup. But that’s what U.S. truck buyers increasingly want, spending an average of $46,844 on a pickup, according to Kelley Blue Book.
That’s more than the starting price of luxury SUVs such as the Mercedes GLC or the Lexus RX. In 2016, pickup trucks made up a little more than a third of all vehicles that sold for more than $50,000.
This month, Ford Motor Co. is rolling out its most expensive pickup yet: the F-Series Super Duty Limited, a luxury heavy-duty truck with a starting price of $80,835. It has custom two-tone leather seats, a heated steering wheel wrapped in hand-stitched leather, and hightech features such as a 360-degree camera system that guides drivers when they’re hitching up a trailer.
A fully-loaded F-450 — the biggest version of the Super Duty — will top out at $94,455. It’s capable of towing an Air Force F-35 fighter plane, but it also has massaging seats.
Fiat Chrysler’s Ram brand is also unveiling luxury pickups. The 2018 Laramie Longhorn Southfork edition has a walnut-trimmed steering wheel and 4G Wi-Fi capability. The Heavy Duty Lone Star Silver — sold only in Texas — has a luxurious chrome grille. Both start at around $50,000 and will be available later this fall. Some buyers are balking at the prices, but others are taking them in stride.
“It’s awesome. I’d love to be going down the road in it right now,” said Paul Churchill as he sat in the cab of the Super Duty Limited.
Demand for luxury trucks is strong. Ford says around half of the individual buyers who purchase Super Duty trucks opt for one of its three luxury versions — King Ranch, Lariat or Platinum. The Limited version will sit at the top of that heap.
Kendall Bachman, who works for an executive search firm in the renewable energy industry, paid $40,000 in 2013 for a limited edition 2011 Toyota Tundra CrewMax that’s upholstered in leather from San Antonio-based Lucchese Boot Co.
Bachman, of Redding, Calif., needed a truck to tow his fishing boat and camping trailer and haul lumber and landscaping materials for his 3-acre property. He also wanted something big to protect his four kids and leather that could withstand stains.
The luxury trend has helped pickups outpace the industry in terms of the prices they command. So far this year, the average vehicle is selling for $34,671, up 38 percent from 2005. The average price of a fullsize truck has jumped 54 percent in that same period, to $46,844.
Ford kicked off the luxury truck trend in 1999 when it introduced the Harley-Davidson F-Series. The King Ranch edition followed in 2001. General Motors Co. brought out its high-end GMC Sierra Denali pickup in 2002; the Chevrolet Silverado High Country followed in 2014. The Ram Laramie Longhorn arrived in 2010.
Todd Eckert, Ford’s truck group marketing manager, stressed that Ford is still meeting the needs of buyers who want an everyday work truck. The base model of the 2018 Super Duty starts at $32,890. But he said some customers are also demanding more comfort and safety technology, such as forward collision warning systems and adaptive cruise control.