Shares of Ford (NYSE:F | F Price Prediction) are down 2% to $13 in Thursday midday trading, putting the stock on track for a fourth straight down day. The catalyst is a soft Q2 U.S. sales report, and the slide has investors asking whether the money would be better parked in a Detroit rival.
Both General Motors (NYSE:GM) and Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) shares are trading roughly flat today, at $75 and $6, respectively. Yet, the year-to-date scoreboard tells a more surprising story than the last four sessions suggest.
Q2 U.S. Sales Miss Fuels the Selloff
Ford reported that U.S. sales fell 10% in Q2 2026 to 549,200 vehicles, with first-half sales down 10% to just over 1 million. EV volumes were the sore spot, with Q2 EV sales dropping 41% as the Mustang Mach-E slipped and the discontinued F-150 Lightning fell sharply.
The headline truck number also disappointed. F-Series sales fell 11% to 197,900, though Ford attributes the drop to a retiming of commercial production linked to last year’s aluminum supply shortages rather than soft demand. Still, the F-Series remained the best-selling U.S. truck.
Ford’s report had bright spots. The Bronco set a Q2 record, up 16% to 45,739 units; the Maverick Hybrid also set a Q2 record, up 19% to 29,457; Explorer deliveries increased; and Ford’s estimated June retail market share climbed to 12%. Ford is also phasing out the Escape and Lincoln Corsair, which weigh on near-term volume.
How GM and Stellantis Stack Up
General Motors posted a smaller Q2 U.S. sales decline of 4% and remained the top-selling U.S. automaker on the strength of trucks and SUVs. The automaker’s EV volumes also fell, a common theme after the federal EV tax credit expired and demand cooled across the industry.
On the fundamentals, GM stock trades at a forward P/E ratio of 6x with an analyst target price of $95, versus Ford stock’s forward P/E ratio of 8x and $15 target. Stellantis stock, priced for distress, trades at a forward P/E ratio of 7x and a price-to-book ratio of 0.24x.
The Surprising Year-to-Date Scoreboard
Here’s the twist. Despite the four-day slide, Ford stock is up 2% year to date (YTD), making it the best performer of the three. GM stock is down 8% YTD, and Stellantis stock is down 47% YTD. So, the answer to “is it time to switch?” is nuanced.
General Motors did have the smaller Q2 sales decline and a bigger buyback footprint, but its shares have leaked lower all year. Stellantis remains the deep-value option, with a wave of overhangs that have gutted its equity value in six months. Ford has held up best on the stock, even though its Q2 sales print looks worse than GM’s.
Should You Sell Ford Stock Now?
The bull case for Ford is that the company’s hybrid and off-road nameplates (Bronco, Maverick) are winning, retail share is expanding, and CEO Jim Farley has touted an upcoming sub-$30,000 electric truck for next year to reset the EV cost curve. Ford stock also offers a dividend yield that exceeds 4%, which can cushion share-price drawdowns somewhat.
The bear case is that EV demand is softening industry-wide after the federal tax credit expired, discontinued models are removing volume, and Ford’s Model e segment continues to bleed cash. These are volatile, cyclical stocks, and investors may want to keep their position sizes modest across the group.
There’s no requirement to panic-sell your Ford shares if you’re vigilant and have a long-term investment plan. Looking ahead, the next test is whether Ford stock can hold the $13 area into Thursday’s close and whether Q2 2026 earnings, due later this month, confirm the guidance raise. Market watchers can also monitor GM’s July sales cadence and any Stellantis update on its recovery timeline.
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