In an aerial view, a Ford pickup truck is displayed on the sales floor at Serramonte Ford on January 6, 2026 in Colma, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
DETROIT – Ford Motor District retained the No. 3 U.S. sales position during the third quarter by a narrow margin over Hyundai Motor, which had been predicted to overtake the Detroit automaker.
Ford on Friday reported a 6.6% year-over-year sales decline in the third quarter to 507,395 light vehicles. These figures do not include the largest heavy-duty trucks, which are classified differently.
That compares with South Korean automakers, including brands Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, reporting a 5.4% increase to 506,200 vehicles during the quarter.
Both companies performed better than expected. Last week’s forecast by Cox Automotive called for Hyundai to overtake Ford in monthly sales for the first time.
Hyundai, including its luxury Genesis brand and sister company Kia, has made big inroads in the US this year. Ford, meanwhile, has struggled with production of its crucial F-Series pickup truck after two supplier fires last year disrupted production and sales.
Ford retained an estimated 89,700 unit sales lead for the year over Hyundai through the third quarter, according to data reported this week by the company.
Ford has downplayed Hyundai’s distance in sales, saying that Kia and Hyundai brands operate separately in the US despite having a parent company.
In addition to the F-Series production issues, Ford’s year-to-year sales comparisons are made difficult by the discontinuation of vehicles such as the Ford Escape.
Rob Kaffl, Ford’s head of sales in the US, said that sales and inventory of F-Series pickups, including the F-150, continued to increase during the quarter.
“Some of the headwinds we experienced earlier this year are behind us, and that really sets us up for a very strong Q4 as we move forward,” Kaffl said during a media call.
F-Series sales were off just 1.9% during the third quarter, including a 97.1% drop from the discontinued F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck.
The Ford brand of Detroit cars was down about 6% during the quarter, while the luxury Lincoln brand was down 18%.
Ford’s year-over-year EV sales fell 67.5% through September, including a roughly 80% drop during the third quarter. The automaker also faces tough comparisons in the category, as it reported EV sales during the same period last year as demand surged ahead of the Trump administration’s up to $7,500 federal incentive for consumers to buy electric vehicles.