[New York = E-Daily Seong Joowon Correspondent] Contrary to forecasts that HyundaiMotor Group would overtake Ford for the first time ever to claim third place in U.S. auto sales in the third quarter of this year, the group remained in fourth place by a narrow margin. Although sales of Hyundai, KIA CORPORATION, and Genesis increased by more than 5% compared to the same period last year, Ford performed better than expected, allowing it to retain third place by a margin of just 1,195 vehicles.

According to CNBC on the 2nd (local time), Ford sold 507,395 light-duty vehicles in the U.S. during the third quarter of this year, a 6.6% decrease from the same period last year. Heavy-duty commercial trucks were excluded from the tally.
HyundaiMotor(005380)·KIA CORPORATION(000270)·HyundaiMotor Group’s total sales, including Genesis, reached 506,200 units, a 5.4% increase from the same period last year. The gap between the two companies was just 1,195 units.
This result defied market expectations. On the 24th of last month, market research firm Cox Automotive projected HyundaiMotor Group’s third-quarter U.S. sales at 511,421 units and Ford’s at 504,172 units. Had the forecast held true, HyundaiMotor Group would have surpassed Ford for the first time on a quarterly basis, ranking third in U.S. sales behind General Motors (GM) and Toyota.
In reality, however, HyundaiMotor Group sold about 5,200 fewer units than Cox’s forecast, while Ford sold about 13,200 more than projected. Consequently, the anticipated reversal in rankings did not occur.
However, HyundaiMotor Group’s strong performance in the U.S. market continues. While Ford’s third-quarter sales fell 6.6% year-over-year, HyundaiMotor Group’s rose 5.4%. On a cumulative basis for the first three quarters of this year, Ford leads HyundaiMotor Group by approximately 89,700 units.

F-Series Production Recovers… Ford: “Strong Start to the Fourth Quarter”

Ford experienced disruptions in production of its core F-Series pickup trucks last year due to two fires at supplier facilities. However, as production and inventory conditions improved in the third quarter, the company posted better-than-expected sales results.
Rob Kaple, Ford’s head of U.S. sales, said, “Some of the headwinds we faced at the beginning of the year are now largely behind us,” adding, “We are setting up a very strong starting point heading into the fourth quarter.”
Third-quarter sales of the F-Series declined by only 1.9% compared to the same period last year. Sales of the discontinued F-150 Lightning electric pickup, however, plummeted by 97.1%.

However, Ford’s overall growth has not yet recovered. Sales of the Ford brand fell by about 6% in the third quarter, while those of the luxury brand Lincoln dropped by 18%. In particular, electric vehicle sales plummeted by about 80% in the third quarter.
A base effect also contributed to the sharp drop in EV sales. This is because Ford’s EV sales hit an all-time high last year during the same period as demand surged ahead of the Trump administration’s termination of the EV purchase tax credit, which was worth up to $7,500 (approximately 10.1 million won).

HyundaiMotor Group Continues to Close the Gap… Annual Gap Still at 90,000 Units

GM remains the top automaker in the U.S., with Toyota in second place. Although HyundaiMotor Group came very close to catching up with Ford in the third quarter,

the

year-to-date

gap

still stands at approximately 89,700 units.
However, sales trends are diverging. While HyundaiMotor Group’s sales rose 5.4% in the third quarter, Ford’s fell 6.6%. This confirms that HyundaiMotor Group has risen to the level of directly competing with Ford in terms of sales volume in the U.S. market.
Ford also drew a line when it came to sales comparisons with the HyundaiMotor Group. Ford downplayed comparisons at the HyundaiMotor Group level, pointing out that while Hyundai and KIA CORPORATION belong to the same corporate group, they operate as separate brands in the U.S.