Ford Motor held onto its position as the third-largest automaker by sales in the United States during the third quarter, edging out Hyundai Motor by a slim margin. The company reported a year-over-year sales decline of 6.6%, selling 507,395 light-duty vehicles during the period. Meanwhile, Hyundai, operating its Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands collectively, posted a 5.4% increase to 506,200 vehicles.
Both automakers exceeded expectations set by industry forecasters. Cox Automotive had projected that Hyundai would surpass Ford in quarterly sales for the first time, but Ford’s performance prevented that outcome. Through the first three quarters of the year, Ford maintains an approximately 89,700-unit sales lead over Hyundai. General Motors continues to lead the U.S. market, followed by Toyota Motor, which has been gaining ground against its American competitor.
Ford attributed its resilience to improvements in production of its critical F-Series pickup trucks, which had faced disruptions stemming from supplier fires. The company’s head of U.S. sales noted that early-year headwinds were dissipating and positioned the automaker for a strong final quarter. F-Series sales declined only 1.9% during the third quarter, though the discontinued F-150 Lightning electric variant saw a 97.1% drop.
Challenges persist across Ford’s portfolio. The company’s broader Ford brand declined roughly 6% during the quarter, while its luxury Lincoln division dropped 18%. Electric vehicle sales proved particularly weak, declining 67.5% year-over-year through September, largely due to tough comparisons against record EV demand recorded during the same period the previous year when consumers rushed to purchase vehicles ahead of anticipated changes to federal incentive programs.
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