Hyundai signage on the New York Worldwide Auto Present on April 2, 2026.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
DETROIT — Hyundai Motor is anticipated to outsell Ford Motor in quarterly gross sales for the primary time ever, in response to a brand new forecast launched Thursday by Cox Automotive.
The South Korean automaker is anticipated to report a 6.5% enhance in year-over-year gross sales from July by means of September to 511,421 items. That compares with an anticipated 7.1% decline for Ford over the third quarter to 504,172 new automobiles offered, in response to Cox predictions.
The anticipated leaderboard change would make Hyundai the third best-selling automaker within the U.S. behind Normal Motors and Toyota Motor.
That change comes as new car gross sales have been stronger than anticipated this 12 months. Cox on Thursday raised its 2026 forecast by roughly 2%, to 16.1 million items.
“The automotive market this 12 months has been fairly resilient,” Jeremy Robb, Cox chief economist, mentioned Thursday throughout a media name. “New and used gross sales are each down 12 months over 12 months, however they are not down actually that a lot.”
In response to the forecast, Ford mentioned it continues to outsell Hyundai by means of August.
The Detroit automaker additionally took the chance to say that the forecast “does spotlight the speedy progress of automobiles imported from Korea – by corporations like Hyundai, Kia and GM,” which has notably elevated its U.S. car gross sales from South Korean vegetation this decade.
“At the moment, as a result of tariffs, forex, labor prices and provide chains, it is extremely advantageous to construct in Korea versus constructing within the U.S. — which Ford does greater than any automaker,” Ford mentioned within the emailed assertion.
Hyundai’s scorching streak
Hyundai, together with its luxurious Genesis model and company sibling Kia, has been making main inroads within the U.S. this 12 months. Ford, in the meantime, has struggled with manufacturing of its essential F-Sequence pickup vans following two provider fires final 12 months that disrupted manufacturing and gross sales.
Hyundai CEO José Muñoz informed CNBC final month that topping Ford in U.S. gross sales is not a objective but when it occurs, it is due to the corporate’s continued concentrate on merchandise and execution.
“We concentrate on delivering, the very best, secure merchandise to the shopper with the best potential high quality,” Muñoz mentioned, noting the corporate is No. 3 in gross sales globally. “And we find yourself attaining unbelievable targets.”
Other than pickup manufacturing troubles, Cox analysts mentioned gross sales for Ford and its crosstown rival GM are being hindered by an absence of hybrid automobiles — a quickly rising market within the U.S. amid inflated gasoline costs.
“If you do not have automobiles to catch [consumers] the place they’re, then there are different producers that possible would step into the hole,” Erin Keating, a Cox government analyst, mentioned Thursday throughout a media name.
GM solely gives a hybrid model of its Corvette, whereas Ford’s hybrids embrace its Maverick and F-150 pickup vans.
Toyota positive factors on GM
Hybrid chief Toyota Motor additionally has been narrowing its gross sales hole with No. 1 gross sales chief GM. Cox mentioned final quarter that GM could possibly be overtaken by the Japanese automaker this 12 months in annual gross sales.
GM is anticipated to report a year-over-year gross sales decline of 5.2% to 671,706 new automobiles offered in the course of the third quarter, whereas Toyota is predicted to report a 2.2% acquire to 642,707 items. For the 12 months, Toyota is trailing GM by fewer than 121,100 items.
If Toyota can prime GM, it might mark the second time Toyota has ever outsold GM in annual U.S. gross sales. The first time was in 2021 when provide chain disruptions affected car manufacturing.
Cox specialists famous that gasoline costs — at a AAA nationwide common of $4.48 per gallon — are impacting the gross sales of huge vans and SUVs, that are essential to gross sales for the Detroit automakers.
GM, Ford and Chrysler mum or dad Stellantis even have renewed their concentrate on gas-guzzling V-8 engines of their bigger pickups and SUVs amid deregulation of emissions and gasoline financial system requirements by the Trump administration.
“I feel that is most likely one of many callouts for the domestics is that they’ve made some attention-grabbing choices round product,” Keating mentioned.
Cox expects Stellantis to report a 1.3% decline in U.S. car gross sales in the course of the third quarter, with whole gross sales for the 12 months anticipated to be up 2.8% because the automaker orchestrates a companywide turnaround plan.