USAGeneral Motors, Ford and Stellantis lost ground in the US in the third quarter of 2026, while Toyota, Honda and Hyundai Motor Group gained. Cox Automotive’s forecast, published before the carmakers reported, put the Detroit Three’s combined share at just over 36%, the lowest on record, and Asian brands at more than half of new-vehicle sales.
Third-quarter US sales by carmaker
| Carmaker | Q3 2026 sales | Change |
|---|---|---|
| General Motors | 670,974 | -5.5% |
| Toyota (incl. Lexus) | 633,223 | +0.6% |
| Ford | 507,395 | -6.6% |
| Hyundai, Kia and Genesis | 506,200 | +5.4% |
| Honda (incl. Acura) | 392,341 | +9.3% |
| Stellantis | 324,277 | -0.2% |
The Ford figure counts light-duty vehicles; with heavy trucks it sold 509,764. GM stayed the largest seller, 37,751 vehicles ahead of Toyota. Cox had forecast that Hyundai, Kia and Genesis would pass Ford for the first time in a quarter; Ford kept third place by 1,195 vehicles.
US hybrid sales and fuel prices
US regular gasoline averaged $4.43 a gallon (about $1.17 a litre) in September, against $3.20 a year earlier, according to AAA, and Reuters reported the jump pushing buyers towards hybrids. Toyota’s electrified sales rose 28.5% to 363,367, or 57.4% of its US volume. The Corolla Hybrid grew almost 36% to 13,003. At Honda, CR-V sales rose 16.6% in the quarter, and hybrids made up 53% of them.
Through September, hybrid sales across the market were up 22.4% on a year earlier and took 15.6% of sales, 3.1 points more, according to dealer association NADA. Battery-electric sales were down 29.2% over the same period, to a 6.2% share. GM’s EV sales fell 62% in the quarter, after the $7,500 federal tax credit ended in September 2025. Hyundai was already leaning on hybrids in the first half, when it set a US sales record.
US new-vehicle market in the third quarter
Cox estimates third-quarter US sales at about 4.1 million, roughly 1% down on a year earlier. The September seasonally adjusted annual rate was 16.0 million, 3.6% lower than a year before, NADA said.
In September, Ford, GM and Stellantis opposed Chinese carmakers building in the US without conditions through their lobby group.
