Hybrids Help Improve Forecasts After Hit-and-Miss August Sales Report
Several of the factories reporting U.S. new vehicle sales to the Automotive News Data Center point to gasoline-electric hybrids as a bright spot in an uneven August. Strong hybrid and fleet sales are among the factors that have pushed some industry watchers to upwardly adjust their full-year projections.
Subaru (1.3%), Kia (0.9%) and Honda (0.4%) sold more vehicles last month than in August 2025. Honda’s gain was aided by 17%-plus increases for the Acura Integra, ADX and MDX.
Hyundai just missed the winner’s column, reporting a 1.9% drop despite a 33% increase in hybrid sales. Ford (-10.3%), Mazda (-8.9%) and Toyota (-4.4%) also registered year-over-year decreases.
In his report, which also includes new inventory and incentive data, Automotive News’s John Phillips notes a year-over-year comparison is somewhat unfair given last year’s late-summer rush to purchase EVs ahead of an expiring federal tax credit. Yet year-to-date volumes are strong enough to push GlobalData, among others, to raise expectations for 2026.
“The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales tallied 16.8 million last month, Motor Intelligence reported, a high for the year and the highest since April 2025. The August sales pace finished well above the range of forecasts of 16.3 million to 16.4 million, and also up sharply from 16.6 million in August 2025 and 16.5 million in July,” Phillips writes. “The SAAR has now topped 16 million for the sixth consecutive month in August, signaling underlying strength in the market.”
Last week, the authors of Experian’s latest State of the Auto Finance Market report noted that hybrids accounted for 17% of new car financing in the second quarter (up from 13% in Q2 2025) with an average monthly payment of $545 for loans and $566 for leases, both industry lows.
