Asian Carmakers Gain US Share As China Eyes Entry

Major US automakers have watched their share of the domestic market shrink further as Asian rivals gain ground. Analysts say the situation could worsen if Chinese firms are allowed into the US market, an idea President Donald Trump has floated.

“The broader market story continues to be the growing (sales), and mostly on the strength of Asian automakers,” said Charlie Chesbrough, a senior economist at Cox Automotive. He said Asian brands were expected to account for more than half of US new vehicle sales in the third quarter for the second quarter running, “approaching record-high market share levels.” Detroit’s historic Big Three, General Motors, Ford and FCA/Stellantis, will meanwhile see their combined share fall to just over 36 percent, the lowest on record. FCA/Stellantis makes Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge. Chesbrough said Asian companies have “significant advantages” over US firms in hybrid vehicles, which a growing number of consumers are buying because conflict in the Middle East has made gasoline prices volatile.

GM remains the overall US sales leader, but Japan’s Toyota is quickly catching up.

GM’s market share slipped from 17.4 percent in 2025 to 16.7 percent in the first nine months of this year, while Toyota’s rose from 15.2 percent to 15.6 percent, according to Cox Automotive. In the third quarter, GM sales fell 5.5 percent to 670,974 units, while Toyota sales rose 0.6 percent to 633,223.

A similar pattern holds for Ford and Hyundai-Kia, in third and fourth place. Market share and sales are down for the Dearborn, Michigan-based carmaker and up for the South Korean group. Cox had predicted that Ford would soon drop to fourth place, but Hyundai-Kia’s sales rose less than expected. FCA US is sixth, behind Japan’s Honda. Michael Orange, head of US retail sales for FCA US, said on Friday that the companies were operating against “a highly competitive industry backdrop.”

In mid-September, Trump said he was “okay” with Chinese cars on American roads, as long as their manufacturers opened factories in the United States and hired American workers. He spoke before Chinese President Xi Jinping visited him at the White House, Xi’s first trip there in more than a decade.

Lobbyists representing carmakers, parts manufacturers and dealers quickly asked Trump to “keep the door firmly shut to Chinese automakers seeking to sell, import or manufacture vehicles inside the US.”