Hyundai may overtake Ford in US car sales for the first time — CNBC

In the United States, Hyundai Motor may overtake Ford Motor in new vehicle sales for the first time in the third quarter of 2026. According to a Cox Automotive forecast, the South Korean company will sell 511,421 vehicles from July through September, up 6.5% year-on-year. Ford's sales, analysts estimate, will decline by 7.1% to 504,172 vehicles.

If the forecast materializes, Hyundai will become the third-largest automaker in the US market after General Motors and Toyota Motor. CNBC reports on Cox Automotive's estimates.

Demand for hybrid vehicles

Cox Automotive analysts attribute the weaker performance of Ford and General Motors, in particular, to the limited number of hybrid models in their lineups. The hybrid segment is growing amid high fuel prices in the United States. According to AAA, the average gasoline price in the country was $4.48 per gallon.

GM offers a hybrid version only of the Corvette, while Ford's hybrid models include the Maverick and F-150 pickups. Ford also faced production difficulties with its key F-Series pickups after two fires at suppliers last year disrupted output and sales.

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Hyundai CEO José Muñoz told CNBC last month that the company does not aim to overtake Ford. According to him, Hyundai is focused on delivering safe and high-quality vehicles to customers.

Toyota narrows gap with GM

Toyota, which is a leader in the hybrid segment, is also narrowing the gap with General Motors. Cox Automotive forecasts that GM's third-quarter sales will decline by 5.2% year-on-year to 671,706 vehicles. Toyota is projected to increase sales by 2.2% to 642,707 vehicles.

Since the start of the year, Toyota has trailed GM by fewer than 121,100 vehicles. Cox Automotive also raised its forecast for total US new vehicle sales in 2026 by about 2%, to 16.1 million units.