Chevrolet is selling a lot of Colorados to people who have never owned a Chevy

Chevrolet could not have asked for a better first year for its new midsize pickup. The truck has garnered significant critical praise, sales are brisk and, maybe most importantly, the truck has attracted a significant amount of first-time buyers to the brand.

Chevy reports 19,1267 Colorados sold in the first quarter, enough to hop the Nissan Frontier for second place in the midsize segment. However, Toyota’s grip on the market remains firm, selling 39,666 Tacomas during the quarter.

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But Chevy’s momentum is hard to ignore, especially considering that 53 percent of Colorado customers have never bought a Chevrolet before.

The truck has garnered quite a bit of attention thanks to its excellent fuel efficiency and power. And the fact that it was named Motor Trend‘s Truck of the Year didn’t hurt. Chevrolet has shown that it has confidence in the truck’s versatility as well, introducing a box delete model in March, essentially creating the first midsize work truck on the market.

That momentum is likely to continue later this year when Chevy makes a diesel option available for the truck.