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DETROIT — Ford Motor retained its No. 3 U.S. sales position during the third quarter by a narrow margin over Hyundai Motor, which had been forecast to overtake the Detroit automaker. Ford on Friday reported a year-over-year sales decline of 6.6% during the third quarter to 507,395 light-duty vehicles. That figure excludes its largest heavy-duty trucks, which are classified differently. That compares to the South Korean automaker, including Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, reporting a 5.4% increase to 506,200 vehicles during the quarter. Both companies performed better than expected. A forecast last week by Cox Automotive had called for Hyundai to overtake Ford in quarterly sales for the first time. Hyundai has been making major inroads in the U.S. this year. Ford, meanwhile, has struggled with production of its crucial F-Series pickup trucks after two supplier fires last year that disrupted production and sales. Ford retains a roughly 89,700-unit sales lead for the year over Hyundai through the third quarter, according to data reported this week by the companies. The current U.S. sales leader for 2026 is General Motors, followed by Toyota Motor. However, the Japanese automakers has been making gains against GM this year. Ford on Friday downplayed Hyundai's proximity in sales, citing Kia and Hyundai brands operating separately in the U.S. despite having a corporate parent. In addition to the F-Series production problems, Ford's year-over-year sales comparisons have been tough due to the discontinuation of vehicles such as the Ford Escape. Rob Kaffl, Ford's head of U.S. sales, said Friday that sales and inventories of F-Series pickups, including its F-150, 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," Kaffl said during a media call. F-Series sales were only off 1.9% during the third quarter, including a 97.1% decline of the discontinued F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. The Detroit automaker's Ford brand was off roughly 6% during the quarter, while its luxury Lincoln brand was down 18%. Ford's year-over-year sales of electric vehicles were off 67.5% through September, including a roughly 80% decline during the third quarter. The automaker is also facing tough comparisons in that category, as it reported record EV sales during the same period last year as demand spiked ahead of the Trump administration ending federal incentives worth up to $7,500 for consumers to purchase an EV.
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