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Ford narrowly held the No. 3 spot in U.S. auto sales for the third quarter, edging past Hyundai’s combined brands by a slim margin. The result highlights shifting market momentum as Ford deals with pickup production issues and a sharp drop in electric vehicle volumes.
Close finish in the quarter
Ford reported sales of 507,395 light‑duty vehicles in Q3, a 6.6% decline from a year earlier. Hyundai Motor’s U.S. tally — which includes the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands — rose 5.4% to 506,200 vehicles.
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The outcome was tighter than many expected. A recent forecast from Cox Automotive had predicted Hyundai would surpass Ford for the quarter, but the Detroit automaker held on by a narrow margin.
Production snags and model changes
Ford’s struggles this year have centered on its core pickup lineup. Two supplier fires last year disrupted output for the automaker’s key F-Series trucks, a problem that carried into sales comparisons.
Volume was also affected by the discontinuation of some models, including the Escape. Still, the company said its F-Series performance was stabilizing. Sales of the truck family were down only 1.9% in Q3, a figure that included a 97.1% drop in the now-discontinued F-150 Lightning electric pickup.
Electric vehicle slump
Ford’s EV deliveries have fallen sharply. Through September, year‑to‑date EV sales were down 67.5%, with roughly an 80% decline in the third quarter alone. The company pointed to tough comparisons after it recorded unusually high EV demand in the same period last year, when purchases surged ahead of the administration ending federal incentives worth up to $7,500 for EV buyers.
Outlook and comments from Ford
Rob Kaffl, Ford’s head of U.S. sales, said sales and inventories for the F-Series, including the F‑150, improved across the quarter. “Some of the headwinds we had early in the year are kind of behind us, and it’s really setting us up for a really strong Q4 as we move in,” he told reporters on a media call.
Ford also sought to temper the significance of the close quarterly race, noting that Hyundai and Kia operate as separate brands in the U.S. despite shared corporate ownership.
Where this leaves the market
On a year‑to‑date basis through Q3, Ford held about an 89,700-unit lead over Hyundai. Overall U.S. sales this year remain led by General Motors, followed by Toyota, though Japanese automakers have been gaining ground against GM.
