Sengit Toyota Vs Ford Duel, Who Is The King Of The US Automotive?

Toyota vehicle line. (Photo: Toyota USA)

JAKARTA The dominance fight in the United States (US) automotive market between the two giants, Toyota and Ford, is heating up.

In the second quarter, Toyota managed to outperform Ford in sales in the US, but competition is getting tougher with Ford's significant year-on-year growth.

North America's Toyota Motor, including Lexus, managed to record higher sales in the second quarter of 2025 with 666,469 units, beating Ford 54,374 units, but Ford showed a much more aggressive annual sales increase. Ford posted a 14.2 percent increase in the second quarter, or 7 percent higher than Toyota.

If this trend continues, it is estimated that Ford can even overtake Tesla in sales in the US in the third quarter. However, reported by Autoblogging, Wednesday, July 23, Toyota has several strategic advantages to take into account, one of which is a diversified supply chain.

Toyota's Advantages In US Electrification And Manufacturing

Toyota is at the forefront of electric vehicle innovation. At the end of Quarter II, Toyota reported having 32 electrified vehicles, the most among all automakers. This option includes hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid (PHEV), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). In June, Toyota's electric vehicle sales jumped 6.7 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 90,426 units, or 46 percent of its total sales in June.

On the other hand, Ford lags far behind sales of electrified vehicles in June, recording only 25,254 units in the US. In addition, Ford's success in Quarter II relies heavily on employee discount programs for most of its inventory, ending on July 6.

Toyota also has a strong manufacturing footprint in the US, although it produces fewer vehicles domestically than Ford. The automaker has 11 manufacturing plants in 10 US states. Active deliveries to the Toyota battery facility in North Carolina also started in April.

Despite Ford's increasing pressure, Toyota doesn't need to worry too much about several other major automakers. After the Second Quarter, Volkswagen, Nissan, and Stellantis all reported years-on-year sales losses and much lower quarterly shipments compared to Toyota. Of these three manufacturers, Volkswagen America experienced its steepest annual decline by 29 percent, followed by Stellantis by 10 percent and Nissan by 6.5 percent.