In 2024, Ford remained the leading car brand in the United States based on vehicle sales, delivering about 2.1 million units to U.S. customers. The United States is the largest market for Ford: wholesales to U.S. dealerships reached over two million vehicles in 2023. Car sales among major manufacturers The top three U.S. car brands are assembled and distributed by the leading manufacturers in the U.S. market: Ford Motor Company, Toyota Motor Corporation, and General Motors (GM). As of the fourth quarter of 2024, GM's largest segment of sales was attributable to its Chevrolet-badged vehicles. Within the Ford Motor Corporation, the Ford division accounted for the largest number of vehicle sales. And finally, Toyota’s largest distribution of this sales volume was attributable to the Toyota brand vehicles. Automotive industry overview Production and sales volumes are declining among the key automotive brands in the United States, as a result of the accelerated automotive semiconductor shortage, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fact that the automotive manufacturing and sales market is highly competitive both within the U.S. and globally. Electric vehicles emerged as the leading trend in Europe since 2020 and the U.S. electric vehicle industry has been catching up. Furthermore, it is forecast that autonomous vehicles will disrupt the U.S. market between 2020 and 2030.

Between January and December 2024, General Motors was the leading automotive manufacturer based on sales in the United States. The Detroit company sold nearly 2.7 million passenger cars and light trucks in the U.S., which was around 10,000 more vehicles compared with the same time period one year earlier. Most other manufacturers also recorded an increase in sales in 2024 as they rebounded from the impact of the semiconductor shortage. Tesla, in contrast, reported a year-over-year decrease in sales volume. Electric sales continue growth In 2023, electric vehicles have fared better than conventional vehicles so far. Tesla’s vehicle sales are indicative of this trend on a global level, despite a slight decrease in U.S. sales. Tesla's worldwide deliveries broke records in 2023. However, competition is beginning to gain momentum, and manufacturers such as General Motors are continuing to add new electric vehicle models into their range of vehicles offered. Newcomers such as the Lucid Group and Karma Automotive are also gaining speed, with the Lucid Air Dream Edition Range being the electric vehicle from Model Year 2023 with the longest range. Vehicle market trends stabilize Annual retail sales of new light vehicles in the United States peaked in 2016, when the industry sold over three million units more than in 2020. The declining trend took place during a period of stagnation in the global automotive market, which saw light vehicle sales decline by around 14.4 percent between 2019 and 2020. Though 2023 recorded an uptick in light vehicle sales, this volume remained below pre-pandemic levels. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, transport modes that minimize contact with other people have become more attractive. U.S. vehicle sales have been relatively stable across 2022, and had started to grow in 2023.

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car model in 2024, topping 1.09 million sales. It was followed closely by the Toyota Corolla. Overall global car sales grew to roughly 75.3 million units in 2023, and are estimated to have reached over 77 million in 2024. Toyota’s next top model   Car shoppers purchased more than one million Toyota Corolla models, making it the world’s second most popular car in 2024. Toyota consistently ranked among the most valuable car brands within the global automotive sector. As of June 2024, it came in second only to Tesla, beating out other competitors such as Mercedes-Benz or Honda.  Big in North America   North America was the primary international market for Toyota vehicle sales, with sales volumes just above the domestic market. The Toyota RAV4, third in the ranking worldwide, was the best-selling SUV model in the U.S. market. The Ford F-Series truck also has a history of setting records in North America, as it is also the best-selling light truck model series in the United States. However, the model is less popular outside of these two markets. Only a little small number of such vehicles were sold in other markets.

In 2023, BMW was the best-selling European car brand in the United States. Mercedes-Benz was ranked second, while fellow German manufacturer Volkswagen completed the top three. Global car sales are projected to be slightly higher in 2024 compared to preceding years. Car sales in the United States
Out of European car brands, BMW sold the highest number of cars in the United States in 2023. However, this figure was much lower than the number of light vehicles sold by Asian or North American car brands. The Toyota Motor company sold some 1.89 million light vehicles under its namesake Toyota brand in 2023, the second highest number out of all car brands in the United States. However, it was Ford that was the leading American car brand in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2023.

In the fourth quarter of 2024, Ford maintained its place as the leading North American car brand in terms of quarterly sales. Ford Motor sold just under 497,100 Ford-badged vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2024. American car brands dependent on light truck sales In 2024, Ford’s F-Series truck was the best-selling light truck in the United States, while GM’s Chevrolet Silverado and Stellantis' Ram Pickup came in second and third. Annual light truck sales increased in 2024, remaining the largest light vehicle segment in the United States, along with SUVs. This popularity creates a disadvantage for other segments, including midsized and compact cars, which are mainly produced by Asian OEMs, including Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. General Motors is the largest U.S.-based automaker General Motors was the largest North America-based car manufacturer in 2024. GM sells vehicles under its various brands, including Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac. Although under the wing of a European carmaker, Chrysler is often still considered one of the Detroit Big Three automakers; Chrysler’s holding company, Stellantis, owns the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands. Meanwhile, Ford sells vehicles mainly under its Ford and Lincoln brands.

In 2024, the auto industry in the United States sold approximately 15.9 million light vehicle units. This figure includes retail sales of about three million passenger cars and just under 12.9 million light trucks. Lower fuel consumption There are many kinds of light vehicles available in the United States. Light-duty vehicles are popular for their utility and improved fuel economy, making them an ideal choice for savvy consumers. As of Model Year 2023, the light vehicle manufacturer with the best overall miles per gallon was Kia, with one gallon of gas allowing for 30.4 miles on the road. Higher brand satisfaction When asked about light vehicle satisfaction, consumers in the United States were most satisfied with Toyota, Subaru, Tesla, and Mercedes-Benz models. Another survey conducted in 2018 and quizzing respondents on their stance regarding the leading car brands indicated that Lexus was among the most dependable brands based on the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles.

The U.S. auto industry sold nearly three million cars in 2024. That year, total car and light truck sales were approximately 15.9 million in the United States. U.S. vehicle sales peaked in 2016 at roughly 17.5 million units. Pandemic impact The COVID-19 pandemic deeply impacted the U.S. automotive market, accelerating the global automotive semiconductor shortage and leading to a drop in demand during the first months of 2020. However, as demand rebounded, new vehicle supply could not keep up with the market. U.S. inventory-to-sales ratio dropped to its lowest point in February 2022, as Russia's war on Ukraine lead to gasoline price hikes. During that same period, inflation also impacted new and used car prices, pricing many U.S. consumers out of a market with increasingly lower car stocks. Focus on fuel economy The U.S. auto industry had one of its worst years in 1982 when customers were beginning to feel the effects of the 1973 oil crisis and the energy crisis of 1979. Since light trucks would often be considered less fuel-efficient, cars accounted for about 77 percent of light vehicle sales back then. Thanks to improved fuel economy for light trucks and cheaper gas prices, this picture had completely changed in 2020. That year, prices for Brent oil dropped to just over 40 U.S. dollars per barrel. The decline occurred in tandem with lower gasoline prices, which came to about 2.17 U.S. dollars per gallon in 2020 - and cars only accounted for less than one-fourth of light vehicle sales that year. Four years on, prices are dropping again, after being the highest on record since 1990 in 2022.

Concerning the ten selected segments, the segment Ford has the largest number of vehicle sales with 2,020,529 vehicles. Contrastingly, Subaru is ranked last, with 397,445 vehicles. Their difference, compared to Ford, lies at 1,623,084 vehicles. Find more statistics on other topics: a comparison of the number of vehicle sales in Estonia and a comparison of the number of vehicle sales in Finland. The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

In terms of monthly light vehicle sales in the United States, Toyota was the top brand in December 2023 with Ford and Chevrolet in second and third place. Customers in the U.S. bought nearly 182,500 Toyota-badged vehicles in December 2023. What was the effect of the pandemic on sales? U.S. vehicle sales tanked in March 2020 but bounced back soon thereafter. Due to the global chip shortage, sales fell again through 2021 and 2022. U.S. auto dealers sold around 1.27 million light vehicles in December 2022, an increase of 5.39 percent year-on-year. These figures can be seen as a consequence of the dwindling supply while automakers halted manufacturing due to a lack of semiconductors for vehicle production. Raw material price inflation and the cost of living crisis recorded in 2022 had also impacted the supply and demand for new vehicles. Pre-crisis plateau Slightly under 14.5 million light vehicles were sold to U.S. auto dealers in 2020. Retail sales are estimated to have slowly recovered in 2021, falling short of the 15 million mark. New sales of light vehicles remained relatively flat between 2017 and 2019 albeit on a high level. 2019 car and light truck retail sales of just under 17 million units put the industry’s new light retail sales figures 1.4 percent lower in 2019 than in 2018. It was particularly passenger cars that did not move off the shelves easily, as light truck sales reached a peak in 2019. Passenger cars now only represented less than one-third of all light vehicle sales in the U.S. While the market recovered through 2023, passenger cars remained the less popular alternative to the larger light trucks for U.S. consumers.

In 2024, Toyota was the leading car manufacturer in Japan, selling around 1.36 million vehicles domestically. The overall car sales volume decreased by a few hundred thousand units, compared to the previous year, reaching about 4.42 million exemplars. Which car brands and models are most popular among Japanese customers? All car manufacturers in the upper half of the ranking were Japanese brands. It is noteworthy that the top three foreign brands listed among the country’s major market players were German car manufacturers (Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Volkswagen). However, none of those three made it in the top ten ranks, indicating that Japanese consumers value German engineering, yet they choose to invest primarily in domestic vehicle technology.Japan’s preference for domestic car brands becomes even more apparent when looking at the country’s bestselling car models. The ranking exclusively listed car models of domestic manufacturers. The two three positions were occupied by Toyota models: the Corolla, was followed by the Yaris, and the Sienta. Besides Toyota, Nissan, and Honda were the only other brands within the top ten passenger car ranks. What are the future car trends in Japan?Japan had been increasingly branching out in electric vehicle technologies. The next-generation vehicle market is divided into battery electric vehicles (BEV), hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids (PHEV), clean diesel vehicles, and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). Japanese manufacturers seem to favor gasoline-electric hybrids over all-electric vehicles for now. Although Toyota's statement in December 2021 to accelerate the shift towards BEVs attracted much attention, the industry remains prudent towards an all-electric centered lineup. One argument is that many customers worldwide still lack the infrastructure or demand for BEVs despite endeavors in Europe and North America.The Japanese government shares the prudence towards BEVs: the shift to full EVs could damage the domestic automotive parts industry, since EVs require fewer parts than hybrid alternatives. Accordingly, the announced goal is to prohibit by 2035 only the sale of new cars solely propelled by a gasoline engine. In the short and medium run, the sale of Japanese hybrids will likely expand domestically and worldwide, therefore. Eventually, hydrogen FCEV besides BEVs might play into Japanese strategies.

Toyota Motor Corporation maintained its position as the world's largest manufacturer of motor vehicles in 2024, with sales of approximately 10.8 million units. This figure surpassed its closest competitor, the Volkswagen Group, which delivered 9.03 million vehicles. Despite facing challenges in recent years, these automotive giants have shown resilience in a rapidly evolving industry. Brand value and revenue shifts While Toyota leads in sales volume, Tesla has emerged as the most valuable car brand globally. In 2024, Tesla's brand value reached roughly 71.9 billion U.S. dollars, surpassing Toyota, which now holds the runner-up position. This shift reflects the growing importance of electric vehicles in the automotive market. However, when considering overall revenue, the Volkswagen Group remains the industry leader, with global sales of around 293.47 billion U.S. dollars, outpacing Toyota Motor. Adapting to market challenges Automakers have faced significant hurdles in recent years, including production and sales contractions due to the coronavirus outbreak. China, a key market, experienced sales slumps in 2020 and 2022 amid pandemic-related lockdowns. Despite these challenges, companies like Hyundai have shown resilience. Hyundai reported sales revenue of 162.7 trillion South Korean won (about 125.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022, surpassing its 2019 performance. To remain competitive, especially in markets like China, Hyundai and other manufacturers are investing heavily in sustainable technologies and expanding their offerings of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

Crossovers are Americans’ favorite type of passenger vehicle. This category accounts for over 45 percent of automobile sales in the United States as of June 2022. The most popular models include Honda’s CR-V, Nissan’s Rogue, and Toyota’s RAV4. In the first quarter of 2022, U.S. auto buyers bought just under 101,200 units of Toyota’s RAV4 model, making it the best-selling vehicle in this category.

Toyota is the market leader  

The RAV4 was one of the very first specimens of its kind, as production of this model began in 1994. Toyota was the second most valuable automotive manufacturer worldwide in 2022, with a brand value of just over 33.1 billion dollars. It followed Tesla, which was first in the ranking with a gap of over 42 billion dollars compared to the runner-up. Toyota’s net revenue rose to 31.4 trillion Japanese yen in 2022 (around 257 billion U.S. dollars as of March 2022 exchange rates), a visible growth of over 15 percent compared to 2021, despite the manufacturer being impacted by the global automotive chip shortage.

 Crossovers benefit from the shift away from sedans   Crossover SUVs (sport utility vehicles) combine the fuel efficiency levels of compact and midsized cars and the higher seating positions of light trucks. They gained in popularity when fuel prices were low and, consequently, automakers increased production volumes and model additions of this vehicle type. Between 2014 and 2021, U.S. car sales fell from over 7.7 million to around 3.34 million units. Concurrently, light truck sales increased from 8.7 million units in 2014 to close to 11.6 million units in 2021. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vehicle demand led to a 9.6 percent drop in light truck sales in 2020. This drop in vehicle sales impacted countries across the globe. In 2020, Germany recorded a loss of over 140,000 sales of SUVs compared to 2019, whereas China’s new SUV registrations remained stable between the two years.

In 2023, Toyota was the best-selling Asian car brand in the United States, followed by Honda and Nissan. Hyundai sold roughly 796,500 vehicles under its namesake brand that year.

Leading Asian car brands in the U.S., based on sales

In 2023, Toyota continues to be the leading Asian car brand in the United States: Japan’s largest carmaker sold approximately 1.89 million units under its namesake brand in 2023. This was around 63.3 percent more than Honda, the second best-selling Asian brand in the country. Asian brands continue to be the most successful group among the non-domestic manufacturers. This trend is further underpinned by the fact that Asian motor vehicle manufacturers are also the producers of some of the most popular car models in the United States. The best-selling Asian car models in the U.S. include the Toyota Camry, the Honda CR-V, and the Toyota Corolla. Furthermore, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia's EV6 are among the best-selling all-electric car models in the United States. The United States is the world’s second-largest market for passenger vehicles. Mid-size cars are proving increasingly popular among U.S. customers, although cross utility vehicles (CUVs) remain in high demand.

At around 16.8 percent, General Motors held the largest share of the auto market in the United States in 2024. General Motors remained the most successful automotive manufacturer in the United States. Between 2004 and 2021, however, the manufacturer lost market share, while that of Toyota rose as a result of an increased focus on light truck models in the lineup. This shifted in 2022, but 2023 led to another slight drop in market share of the American automaker. Asian manufacturers dominate non-domestic competition Among the non-domestic manufacturers, Asian automakers proved to be the most successful group. Asian car brands selling vehicles to customers in the United States include Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, and Subaru. Toyota was also among the most valuable automotive brands worldwide as of June 2024. Both Toyota and Lexus were among the ten brands with the highest consumer satisfaction in the United States that same year. How many brands do auto manufacturers own? General Motors, Ford, and Toyota are the leading automotive manufacturers based on market share in the United States. The Ford Motor Company mainly sells vehicles under its namesake brand, while the Toyota Motor Corporation offers several brands, including Lexus and Toyota. General Motors sells vehicles under various brands, including Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC. In 2017, GM and PSA Group closed a deal in which the French carmaker acquired GM's Opel and Vauxhall brands.

Fiat was the leading vehicle brand in Turkey in 2023 with car and light commercial vehicle sales of approximately 193.6 thousand units. Renault ranked second, reaching over 135.6 thousand vehicle sales. Overall, Turkish customers purchased about 1.23 million passenger cars and light commercial vehicles in 2023.

The place of German cars in the Turkish automobile market

German car brands have always been among the most favored vehicles in Turkey. Even though Volkswagen ranked fourth in the ranking based on unit sales in 2023, the value of imported vehicles from Germany to Turkey was by far the highest in 2022. That year, German imports were valued at over four billion U.S. dollars, twice as much as second-ranking Spain. One of the signature German car brands, BMW, struggled to keep its sales high in the Turkish market in recent years. After peaking in 2015 at over 31 thousand, BMW sales dropped to 23.8 thousand units sold in 2023.

Electric vehicle market

In 2022, BMW secured the top spot in the ranking for the sales of electric cars in the country. However, in 2023, the Turkish electric car manufacturer, TOGG, took over the first place, selling 19.6 thousand vehicles in that year. As opposed to many European countries, the BEV market in Turkey is still small. From 2020 to 2023, electric vehicle sales in the country have been still relatively low compared to gasoline and diesel cars. However, the EV market in Turkey saw about 833 percent growth in 2023 compared to the previous year and is expected to follow an increasing trend over the upcoming years.

The Tesla marque was ranked as the world's most valuable car brand in 2024, with a brand value of roughly 71.9 billion U.S. dollars. Toyota, 2020's leader, is now the runner-up, followed by BMW.

Tesla stays in the lead Tesla had been steadily climbing up the world's most valuable car brands ranking, reaching the top in 2021. Tesla, Inc., founded in 2003 as Tesla Motors, is a North American electric vehicle and clean energy automaker based in Palo Alto, California. Its revenue in the 2023 fiscal year reached nearly 96.8 billion U.S. dollars, and the Tesla Model Y was the best-selling plug-in electric vehicle model worldwide in that same year.

Other valuable car brands worldwide Toyota, the runner-up, is a subdivision of the Toyota Motor Company, founded in the late 1930s. The Japanese manufacturer is one of the largest companies in the global automotive industry and is active in various segments, including SUVs and crossovers, trucks, and motorcycles. Automotive brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz also made the list of the most valuable car brands worldwide. Germany's Mercedes-Benz Group assembles luxury and crossover automobiles, and split from Daimler Truck in 2021.

In 2024, the ranking of the world’s largest car brands was topped by Toyota with a market share of around 10.7 percent. The Toyota brand is owned by Japan's Toyota Motor Corporation, the world's largest motor vehicle manufacturer. New trends in the auto industry In light of growing environmental awareness and increasing efforts to connect vehicles, automotive manufacturers are faced with a variety of new challenges. Market trends such as the shift to lighter materials, as well as the trend towards electric and autonomous vehicles are set to revolutionize the industry. Palo Alto-based Tesla Motors is currently among those at the vanguard of the trend towards electrification, along with the Chinese car manufacturer BYD. Tesla delivered nearly 1.79 million vehicles in 2024, meaning that Volkswagen Group's sales tally is over five times as much. The state of the global auto industry Car sales worldwide have dipped between 2019 and 2020 as a result of the economic downturn generated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 sales recovered, despite remaining below 2019 levels, but supply chain shortages led to a slow recovery of sales in 2022. By the end of 2023, the global car sales volume had grown over pre-pandemic levels. China was the largest automobile market based on new passenger car registrations, recording close to 25.8 million units sold. It was followed by the United States and Europe. China was also the leading passenger car producing country in 2023.

The United States was the largest single target market for General Motors in 2023. During that fiscal year, the Detroit company and its associations sold some 2.1 million motor vehicles to customers in China, the world’s largest automobile market. Overall, GM’s dealers, distributors, and joint ventures reported vehicle sales of some 6.2 million units, almost 4.7 million of which occurred in China and the United States.

 Ownership cap  

China began to deregulate its automotive sector in the mid-1990s but prohibited foreign firms from owning more than 50 percent of stakes in joint ventures. General Motors joined forces with Shanghai-based SAIC on June 12, 1997. The SAIC Motor Corporation, which is also involved in a partnership with Volkswagen, was the leading automobile manufacturer in China in 2021 with car sales of nearly 2.8 million units. Currently, the SAIC-GM joint venture sells vehicles under the Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac brands. General Motors also sells commercial vehicles in collaboration with the Changchun-headquartered automotive manufacturing company FAW Group Corporation.

In 2023, Tesla was the leading luxury car brand in the United States, recording luxury sales of around 650,100 units. It edged out its main competitor, BMW, which recorded estimated sales of over 351,600 luxury vehicles.
The U.S. luxury market
Luxury cars represented an estimated 6.8 billion dollars in revenue in the U.S. in 2022, with a projected growth in 2023. The U.S. were the leading market for luxury automobiles worldwide, with a market size over twice the revenues generated by the luxury car market in Germany, the second largest market for the segment. Despite the revenues generated by the luxury market, the U.S. represented less than a quarter of BMW’s regional automobile sales in 2023, while the brand was one of the market leaders in the country. The luxury car segment also made up some 5.3 percent of the total U.S. light vehicle market demand as of June 2022, dwarfed by the crossover segment which held almost half of the market. Car owners view luxury brands positively Luxury automotive brands are amongst the automotive brands perceived as most reliable by car owners. At 79 percent, Toyota’s subsidiary Lexus was the first most reliable car brand for car owners in late 2023. Lexus was also second in overall consumer satisfaction that same year, followed by Tesla. However, the importance of buying luxury cars, motorcycles, or bicycles in the U.S. was relatively low, with 19 percent of the respondents in a recent survey citing the products as a type of luxury goods they spent their earnings on.

In terms of revenue, Toyota and Volkswagen were the leading automakers worldwide as of May 2024. In terms of vehicle sales, Toyota and Volkswagen are also counted among the most successful automakers worldwide. The emergence of China as an exceptional market Before the coronavirus crisis of 2019-2020, the global automotive industry was hit hard by the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and General Motors declared its roughly 91 billion U.S. dollar bankruptcy following the crisis. In 2009, passenger car sales slumped in most markets, except for China, which emerged as the key sales market for passenger cars. The return of the crisis Chinese manufacturers cut the cord from their joint venture partners from other parts of Asia and the Western world a long time ago, and the global automotive industry has begun to feel the impact Chinese motor vehicles and parts manufacturers have. In 2020, the car market was in free-fall again. However, China was also affected this time. The global automotive chip shortage further impacted the industry in 2021 and 2022, leading to a slump in vehicle inventory despite rising demand. By 2023, some improvements were recorded on the global level.