A few decades ago, South Korean carmaker Hyundai was not seen as a serious player in the U.S. automobile industry.

Remember the Alec Baldwin line in Glengarry Glen Ross – “Cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an eighty-thousand-dollar BMW. That’s my name!” 

Today Hyundai is outselling the American behemoth Ford in its home market and competing in the premium category.

According to Cox Automotive, Hyundai will report a 6.5 per cent increase in year-over-year sales from July to September 2026. That works out to 511,421 units for the time period. 

While that gives Hyundai something to celebrate, Ford Motors meanwhile will see a 7 per cent decline in sales for the same period, only selling 504, 172 new units.

Hyundai is gaining ground in the U.S. and its premium brand “Genesis” is a big hit there.

Ford really has to look over its shoulder with Hyundai now the third-best-selling car maker in the U.S. behind General Motors and Toyota.

Hyundai’s CEO Jose Munoz declared that not only is the South Korean car maker the third-best seller in the U.S., but it is the third-best car seller globally. 

Hyundai continues to focus on EVs and hybrids, and its new electric Genesis GV 90 SUV is expected to be a big hit, taking market share away from both Cadillac and Escalade.

The Hyundai boss has called on the U.S. government to block Chinese automakers from flooding the U.S. market with cheap vehicles

“The U.S. needs to impose conditions on Chinese companies to be able to minimise the impact. But the impact is going to be there for sure.” He cautioned.

Hybrid car sales in the U.S. are increasing, with Hyundai focused on pushing out more hybrid models as U.S. consumers pay greater attention to fuel efficiency.