Automakers Report Sales Slide in First Quarter Sealed by Tough March Numbers

by Michael Strong

Published: April 2nd, 2026

automakers report sales slide in first quarter sealed by tough march numbers

Most of the top automakers in the U.S. saw new vehicle sales slump in the first quarter, many of them pointing to big drops in March sales as the cause for Q1 deficits.

According to GlobalData, March deliveries slid 14 percent to 1.4 million vehicles with retail deliveries down 16 percent, Automotive News reported. It might be easier to list the companies that didn’t report declines, but General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, BMW, Kia, and Tesla were all down during Q1.

Despite this, the automakers in the red were in full spin mode. GM’s Q1 sales fell 9.7 percent, and executives said they expected the rest of the industry to post similar numbers. However, the company found a silver lining.

“We saw showroom traffic and sales steadily improve after January’s storms and March was a much stronger month,” said Duncan Aldred, GM senior vice president and president of North America. “We are well positioned for the future because of our operating discipline and the compelling value we offer, from affordable SUVs to premium vehicles and trucks.”

The company also noted sales last March were “exceptionally high,” which added to the tough numbers this quarter. GM wasn’t alone, others posted big red Q1 numbers as well, including Ford (-8.8), Honda (-4.2), Nissan (-7.5), BMW (-3.9), Subaru (-14.9), and Mazda (-14.4) were all down. Toyota nearly escaped, posting a 0.1 percent decline for the first three months of the year, but an 8.5 percent drop in March nudged the company into red numbers.

Some offered unique takes on the difficult quarter.

“Ford’s strategic shift toward high-margin SUVs like Expedition and Explorer lifted its estimated retail market share to 11.6 percent —- a 0.2 percentage point increase. This gain was achieved even as the company managed the planned sunsetting of the Escape and Lincoln Corsair,” the company wrote in its sales release. Ford’s Q1 results were down nearly 9 percent.

However, not everyone was down. Kia posted its best first quarter ever, sales rising 4 percent. Much of that was led by the arrival of the 2027 Telluride, which saw sales jump 20 percent. However, it wasn’t alone as Sportage (8 percent), Carnival (9 percent) and the little K4 (1 percent) all set new record highs for the quarter.

“Kia continues to see strong customer demand and steady growth, leading to our best-ever first quarter sales total,” said Eric Watson, vice president, sales operations, Kia America. “The all-new 2027 Kia Telluride has been well received by U.S. automotive media and is a key addition to the success we are seeing across our lineup of sedans, SUVs and electrified models.”

Kia’s big brother, Hyundai, managed to eke out a 1 percent increase for the first quarter, riding its electrified vehicles into black numbers.

“Hyundai closed the first quarter with a 1 percent year-over-year increase in total sales, delivering the strongest first quarter in our history and underscoring the resilience of our business in a highly competitive market,” said Randy Parker, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor North America.

“That growth reflects the strength of our balanced portfolio strategy, led by strong demand for our SUVs and record results across our hybrid electric and electrified lineup. With the support of our dealers and the confidence of our customers, Hyundai continues to build sustainable momentum across every powertrain and key segment.”

[Images: Kia, Hyundai]

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Michael Strong

Michael Strong has spent more than 25 years writing about the automotive industry. A Detroit-area native, he’s written about everything from local car shows to product reviews to financial news. Currently he writes and edits for a variety of national and local publications. He’s also a longtime member of the Automotive Press Association and the International Motor Press Association, and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Hail Southern! Despite a love for ’70s land yachts and BMWs from the late ’80s and early ’90s, his personal vehicle is neither of those.

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5 of 42 comments

Stellantis Guy on Apr 03, 2026

My spouse just got home from running errands and 'combined trips' because of fuel prices. In the oil industry we call this 'demand destruction.' Remember, in economics everything interesting happens at the margin.

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- Stellantis Guy on Apr 03, 2026
  
  I had a 'client meeting' this morning via text instead of in-person, saved me from driving.
  I ordered some Penetrol to use as a surface restorer on exterior automotive plastic parts, having it delivered instead of going to the store, because, you know...
  
  Like
- Stellantis Guy on Apr 06, 2026
  
  I took a trip to the next county over yesterday, in the spouse's vehicle not one of mine, and I don't think the guys driving their pickup trucks aggressively on the interstate have realized how much gasoline costs right now. (Someone should tell them.)
  The little exterior trim piece at the base of the A-pillar on the passenger side has been giving a slight persistent rattle at 72mph so I finally got some of the cloth tape out and played around with it for several minutes before giving up and ordering a replacement part (genuine Toyota, new old stock from eBay) which only took about 3 hours (probably less, I'm exaggerating) to find the part number but at least I didn't have to drive to the dealership.
  
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Thebestpresident on Apr 03, 2026

!? does that KN make toast? the front bottom opening looks like i should load bagels in it ...

2 Reply
- Program on Apr 05, 2026
  
  XDDD
  
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