Ford held the No. 3 U.S. sales position in the third quarter, fending off Hyundai.

Third-quarter deliveries were lower than in the same period a year earlier.

The article says phasing out some older models temporarily pulled quarterly totals down.

Truck and utility lineups helped the Detroit maker keep its sales rank.

One cited report says U.S. automakers could lose share to Asian rivals if fuel prices surge.

Ford has signaled a stronger fourth quarter as operations normalize after the model changes.

Executives say retail stability is the focus heading into the last stretch of the fiscal year.

Analysts will watch later delivery reports to see whether the rank holds.

Read the full article on Ford’s third-quarter U.S. sales race with Hyundai.