USA Q3 2026: Ram (+29.3%) surges, Jeep (-19.9%) falls, Detroit 3 at lowest ever 36% share

Ram Pickup sales are up 33.7% in a declining market.

New light vehicle sales in the US edge down -0.8% year-on-year over Q3 to 4,091,759, thanks to a strong September (+5.5% year-on-year according to GlobalData). This is a solid performance given high fuel prices and elevated cost of living are lifting the average new vehicle price to unheard of levels. It’s the more affluent buyers that prop up the market as entry-level customers are priced out of the new vehicle market. The year-to-date tally after 9 months is off -2% to 12,026,213 units, in a market buoyed by crossovers and hybrids. The September SAAR falls to 16.1 million vs. 17.1 million in August. Fleet volume is increasing, now standing at 20% of the total market over the first 9 months according to Cox Automotive: government and rentals are up 7% whereas retail sales to consumers fall -5%.

The return of the Cherokee isn’t enough to prevent Jeep sales freefalling.

Over Q3, Asian automakers are in shape whereas the Detroit 3 falls. Cox Automotive estimates a record-low 36% market share for the Detroit 3 over Q3. General Motors falls -5.4% to just under 670,000 sales,  only 4% coming from electrified vehicles. In contrast edges up 0.6% over the quarter and is up +8.4% in September with hybrids and electrified models up 38% and accounting for 58% of the manufacturer’s September volume and 57% of Q3 deliveries. Ford Motor (-6.6%) falls for the third straight quarter, while Hyundai-Kia (+5.4%) impresses less than 1,200 units below. Hyundai is up 9.1% in September to 77,439 and Kia up 18% to 77,009, both September records. Meanwhile Honda Motor advances 9.3% and is up 16% in September for a 6th consecutive monthly gain. Stellantis (-0.3%) is stable as is Nissan Motor/Mitsubishi (+0.3%). The VW Group suffers at -12.3%.

Kia sales are up 18% to a record September.

Looking at brands over Q3, Toyota (+0.5%) remains by far in the lead above Ford (-6%) and Chevrolet (-4.4%) both in difficulty. Honda (+9.3%), Hyundai (+3.3%) and Kia (+7.8%) all outpace the market, Nissan (+0.2%) is stable ahead of Subaru (+4.5%) and GMC (-4.7%) with Tesla (-3.5%) rounding out the Top 10. Ram (+29.3%) delivers the biggest gain in the Top 30 but fails to crack the Top 10. Stellantis stablemate Jeep (-19.9%) is in complete freefall. Other solid performers below include BMW (+3.4%), Mercedes (+3.4%), Buick (+7.9%) snapping  a streak of four consecutive quarterly declines, Chrysler (+6.4%) and Acura (+9.9%).

The Honda CR-V is the best-selling SUV in the U.S. so far this year.

Model-wise, after falling -11% over Q2, the Ford F-Series (-1.9%) rebalances itself now aluminium parts supply has recovered. It sells over 203,000 units over the period vs. 197,900 in Q2. The Chevrolet Silverado (+3.3%) defies high fuel prices to manage a YoY gain, while the Ram Pickup shoots up 33.7% to reclaims the third place overall, held for the last time over a Full Year in 2023. The return of the 5.7-litre Hemi V8 has proved a success. The Honda CR-V (+16.6%) takes advantage of a sluggish generation transition from the Toyota RAV4 (-16%) to hold onto the #1 SUV spot, just ahead of the Tesla Model Y (+27.9%). The Toyota Camry (+3.2%) tops sedans at #8 overall ahead of the Toyota Corolla (+6.4%) at #13 and the Honda Civic (+10%) at #14.

Previous month: USA August 2026: Weak market (-5.6%), Subaru, American Honda up, Ford down -10.2%

One year ago: USA Q3 2025: EVs push market up, Stellantis back in positive, Chevrolet Equinox surges

Full Q3 2026 Top 15 OEMs, Top 48 brands and Top 302 All models below.