Ford’s Maverick Pickup Is Stealing Away RAV4, CR-V, and Civic Buyers

According to Mike Levine, the Director of North America Product Communications at Ford Motor Company, the Ford Maverick is a conquest model like no other for the brand. More than 80% of the folks who buy a Maverick are first-time Ford truck buyers. The importance of this for Ford is hard to overstate.

More than 80 percent of Maverick’s customers are first-time truck buyers, with top competitive conquests coming from CR-V, RAV4 and Civic. pic.twitter.com/JDhS3Bd88r— Mike Levine (@mrlevine) October 4, 2022

See our full review of the 2022 Ford maverick Hybrid Here.

Torque News is lucky to be invited to several national and local manufacturer-sponsored events throughout the year. At each new product launch or any of the many new model generation presentations, the manufacturers always emphasize two points for their affordable models; Conquest and First Purchase.

Fun Fact: The Ford Maverick Is Larger Inside Than The Ranger

Manufacturers can only grow their market share if they either take away a sale from a competitor or if they introduce an all-new model that expands the market. The Ford Maverick does both. More market share should mean more jobs, more vehicles being built, and ultimately more profits to be shared among stockholders (like you if you have a pension or a 401K plan that holds Ford stock).

Related Story: Ford Adds This Important Feature To 2023 Maverick Tremor Pickup

First purchase sales are also very important. A large percentage of new car buyers return to the brand from which they first buy. According to J.D. Power, a whopping 64% of Ford truck owners buy a new Ford truck when they shop. No brand has a higher loyalty rate. So a Maverick sale is not just a one-time thing. It points to a future of more Ford Truck purchases. Since there are seven truck brands serving the American market, conquest sales, customer retention, and first purchases are critical.

Mr. Levine even named the top models from which Maverick buyers came. He specifically pointed out the CR-V and RAV4. This is no surprise. Both the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 are well-known for making great hybrid trims. The Maverick is unique in the market for being a hybrid compact truck with approximately the same interior passenger volume as the CR-V and RAV4. Why might a RAV4 owner look at a Maverick truck? Perhaps the Cable Gate hybrid power cable defect is scaring them. Why might a Honda CR-V owner looking for a hybrid consider the Maverick? Perhaps they want a spare tire. You won’t find one in any CR-V Hyrbid, but, by contrast, all Mavericks have one. These are just some personal thoughts from your author, who is presently considering all three vehicles as a replacement for his aging Forester.

Now about that Honda Civic mentioned by Mr. Levine. Honda is almost unique in the industry. It still makes an affordable (awesome) entry-level sedan and hatchback that sells in massive numbers. The Civic is such an amazingly great car, and such a great deal, because Honda has found that the Civic is almost always the first car loyal Honda owners buy. Hmm. Your author’s first new car was a Civic. And I became a loyal Honda shopper, buying three more new and ever-more expensive Hondas following that Civic. And now I am looking to buy a Maverick. Proof by single example is not a strong argument, but boy, the Maverick sure has hit home with this former Civic owner who recently began shopping for a CR-V or RAV4, only to then turn his attention to the Maverick after a week of testing it.

If you hung in this long, thank you for reading. The tweet is short and sweet, but we felt that the deeper meaning behind Mr. Levine’s quick post was worth exploring for our Ford fans and regular readers.

Image of 2022 Ford Maverick pickup truck by John Goreham.

John Goreham is a long-time New England Motor Press Association member and recovering engineer. John's interest in EVs goes back to 1990 when he designed the thermal control system for an EV battery as part of an academic team. After earning his mechanical engineering degree, John completed a marketing program at Northeastern University and worked with automotive component manufacturers, in the semiconductor industry, and in biotech. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American news outlets and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on TikTok @ToknCars, on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin

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