July sales came in a little lighter than Cox Automotive’s forecast, with a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16.3 million, but several carmakers, including Kia, Hyundai and Honda, reported banner months.
Leading the news: Cox Automotive had forecasted a SAAR of 16.7 million, but in an update this week pointed to lighter truck sales pulling back numbers.
Stephens’ analysis of all OEM sales noted a 1.9% year-over-year (YoY) decline across retail and fleet.
Cox noted retail sales were expected to be down 1.7% from last year.
Through seven months, the market is on a 16 million pace, running ahead of the full-year forecast of 15.8 million.
Ford experiences 10% drop: Ford sold 169,951 vehicles in July, but experienced a nearly 20,000 vehicle drop, or a 10.2% decline, YoY.
Ford’s electric vehicle sales fell 74.9, with just 2,065 vehicles sold in July.
For the year, Ford’s sales are at 1.18 million, 9.7% behind last year.
F-Series led Ford sales with 68,775 trucks sold in July.
Bronco Sport had the carmaker’s biggest gain, 10.6%, selling 12,095 units.
Honda sales jump: Honda finished July with a 12.8% spike in sales, with its Honda and Acura brands combining for 136,549 in sales.
Honda also had a July-best 36,609 hybrid sales.
CR-V sales, meanwhile, increased by 18.8%, with 38,335 sold, the most for any Honda model.
Hyundai posts 35% jump in hybrid sales: Seeing an overall 35% jump in hybrid sales, Hyundai posted a July-best for sales with 82,480 vehicles sold.
The automaker had a 4% increase in sales from July 2025 and remains 3% ahead of last year through July.
SUVs made up 73% of Hyundai’s sales for July.
And the Tucson saw a 20% sales jump YoY, with 19,714 sold.
Kia sets July record: Kia followed its best opening half of the year performance with a record July, selling 75,857 vehicles.
July sales were 7% ahead of last year.
Through July, the automaker has sold 506,584 vehicles, a 4% increase YOY.
The Sportage led sales with 16,083 units, hitting 110,990 for the year.
Mazda sales lag: Mazda reported a double-digit decline in sales from July 2025, selling 39,180 vehicles.
For the first seven months, Mazda sales are 5.6% behind 2025, with 241,014 units sold.
Mazda did, however, log a 13.6% jump in CPO sales, with a July-best 7,123 vehicles moved.
Truck sales for the automaker were down 18% YOY in July, with 34,303 units sold.
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Toyota, GM post small declines: Toyota sold 185,960 vehicles in July to lead import brands, but saw a 0.3% drop YoY, according to numbers crunched by Stephens.
GM followed its strong June with a 3.6% decline in July sales, to 228,134 vehicles sold.
Stellantis finished the month with 105,409 vehicles moved, an almost 1% increase YoY.
Bottom line: July sales were lighter for Ford and Mazda, but several carmakers saw big gains during the month. Unsurprisingly, hybrid sales continue to be a leader in the market as gas prices remain elevated.
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