Ford retained third place in US vehicle sales during the third quarter, narrowly holding off Hyundai Motor after forecasts suggested the South Korean group could overtake the Detroit carmaker for the first time.
Ford reported sales of 507,395 light-duty vehicles, a 6.6% fall compared with the same period last year. The figure excludes its largest heavy-duty trucks, which are classified separately.
Hyundai, including the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, sold 506,200 vehicles during the quarter, an increase of 5.4%. Both companies performed better than expected, leaving Ford ahead by just 1,195 vehicles.
Ford still has an approximately 89,700-vehicle lead over Hyundai for the year to date, according to figures reported by the companies through the end of the third quarter. Ford also played down the comparison, noting that Hyundai and Kia operate as separate brands in the US despite sharing a corporate parent.
The result comes as Hyundai, Kia and Genesis make significant gains in the US market, while Ford has faced production difficulties affecting its key F-Series pickup range. The company’s year-on-year comparisons have also been affected by the discontinuation of models including the Ford Escape.
Rob Kaffl, Ford’s head of US sales, said F-Series sales and inventories had continued to improve during the quarter.
“Some of the headwinds we had early in the year are kind of behind us, and it’s really setting us up for a really strong Q4 as we move in,” he said during a media call.
F-Series sales fell by 1.9% in the quarter. That included a 97.1% collapse in sales of the discontinued F-150 Lightning electric pickup.
Ford’s main brand recorded a decline of about 6%, while sales at its luxury Lincoln brand fell 18%.
The company’s electric vehicle sales were down 67.5% in the first nine months of the year, including an approximately 80% decline in the third quarter. Ford faced a difficult comparison after recording record EV sales during the same period last year, when demand increased ahead of the ending of federal consumer incentives worth up to $7,500 for electric vehicle purchases.
