Hyundai is projected to surpass Ford in domestic sales for the first time in the third quarter of this year.
On the 24th, automotive market research firm Cox Automotive projected that Hyundai’s sales in the U.S. from July to September will reach 511,421 units, a 6.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Conversely, Ford’s sales during the same period are projected to decrease by 7.1% year-over-year to 504,172 units.
If these projections hold true, Hyundai will surpass Ford in quarterly domestic sales volume for the first time in history. At the same time, it will climb to the number three spot in U.S. market sales, following General Motors (GM) and Toyota.
Hyundai is expanding its sales base primarily centered around SUV and hybrid models, narrowing the gap with American automakers.
Cox analyzes that as domestic gasoline prices remain at high levels, consumer interest in fuel-efficient hybrid cars is growing, whereas the hybrid lineups of GM and Ford are relatively limited.
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the nationwide average gasoline price is around $4.48 per gallon, posing a burden for American automakers that have a high sales proportion of large pickup trucks and SUVs.
In contrast, the Hyundai Motor Group is responding to market demand by expanding hybrid options centered around major SUVs such as the Tucson, Santa Fe, Palisade, Sorento, and Sportage.
The domestic new car market itself this year is showing a more robust trend than initially expected. On this day, Cox adjusted its 2026 new car sales forecast to 16.1 million units, up approximately 2% from previous expectations.
The gap between GM and Toyota for the number one sales spot is also narrowing. Cox forecasted that GM’s U.S. sales in the third quarter will decrease by 5.2% year-over-year to 671,706 units, while Toyota’s will increase by 2.2% to 642,707 units.
On a cumulative annual basis, the gap between the two companies has narrowed to less than 121,100 units. If Toyota surpasses GM this year, it will claim the number one spot in annual new car sales for the second time, following 2021. Toyota first surpassed GM’s domestic sales volume in 2021 when global supply chain disruptions were severe.
For Stellantis, third-quarter U.S. sales are expected to decrease by 1.3% compared to the same period last year. However, as company-wide turnaround strategies are underway, Cox projected that this year’s annual sales will increase by 2.8% from the previous year.
Meanwhile, GM, Ford, and Stellantis are refocusing on V8 engine lineups for large pickups and SUVs in alignment with the Trump administration’s relaxation of emissions and fuel economy regulations. Cox pointed out that such product strategies may conflict with consumer demand amidst high oil prices.
Reporter Woo Hoon-sik woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com
