Savings Seekers Boost U.S. Automakers’ Rivals

Asian automakers with strong electrified lineups are gaining ground on U.S. competitors as consumers plagued by high gas prices seek relief.

Cox Automotive’s latest new-vehicle sales forecast shows Toyota and Hyundai increasing U.S. sales and market share as Ford and General Motors cede more of their slices of the pie.

Its look ahead to the close of the third quarter projects that Ford’s year-to-date sales are down about 9% and GM’s by 6% while Hyundai’s are up 4% and Toyota’s 1%. Cox still expects GM to outsell all competitors this quarter and year-to-date.

The forecast market share breakdown so far this year shows the two U.S. automakers down nearly a percentage point while Hyundai is up by about the same and Toyota by nearly half a percentage point.

Toyota’s gains come despite the Japanese automaker’s shortage of popular models, Cox said, pointing out that Asian brands as a whole are projected to make up over half of new-vehicle sales here for a second straight quarter and are nearing record market share.

“At the same time, brands from the traditional Detroit 3 are forecast to fall to just over 36% market share, the lowest level on record,” Cox Senior Economist Charlie Chesbrough said.

“With consumers continuing to migrate toward hybrid vehicles and passenger cars, segments where Asian manufacturers maintain significant advantages, the shift in market share is expected to continue through the remainder of the year.”

The selling power of electrified powertrains’ fuel savings can be seen in the gains a Toyota SUV has made against the best-selling U.S. large SUV, the Ford Explorer, reported London-based auto data provider Jato Dynamics.

Though the Grand Highlander debuted just three years ago, its U.S. market share in the segment was up 15% year-over-year in the first six months of 2026 to fourth place, fueled largely by its hybrid version, which reached nearly 60% of its sales in the period, Jato said.