As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q3. Today, we are looking at automobile manufacturing stocks, starting with Visteon (NASDAQ: VC).

Much capital investment and technical know-how are needed to manufacture functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing automobiles for the mass market. Barriers to entry are therefore high, and auto manufacturers with economies of scale can boast strong economic moats. However, this doesn’t insulate them from new entrants, as electric vehicles (EVs) have entered the market and are upending it. This has forced established manufacturers to not only contend with emerging EV-first competitors but also decide how much they want to invest in these disruptive technologies, which will likely cannibalize their legacy offerings.

The 11 automobile manufacturing stocks we track reported a strong Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 4.7%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 4.8% on average since the latest earnings results.

Visteon (NASDAQ: VC)

Originally spun off from Ford Motor Company in 2000, Visteon (NYSE: VC) designs and manufactures cockpit electronics for vehicles, including digital instrument clusters, displays, infotainment systems, and battery management systems.

Visteon reported revenues of $917 million, down 6.4% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 4.3%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and full-year EBITDA guidance slightly missing analysts’ expectations.

Visteon scored the highest full-year guidance raise but had the weakest performance against analyst estimates and weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. Still, the market seems discontent with the results. The stock is down 8% since reporting and currently trades at $96.75.

Is now the time to buy Visteon? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best Q3: Ford (NYSE: F)

Established to make automobiles accessible to a broader segment of the population, Ford (NYSE: F) designs, manufactures, and sells a variety of automobiles, trucks, and electric vehicles.

Ford reported revenues of $50.53 billion, up 9.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 9.1%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 8% since reporting. It currently trades at $13.32.

Is now the time to buy Ford? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Lucid (NASDAQ: LCID)

Founded by a former Tesla Vice President, Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID) designs, manufactures, and sells luxury electric vehicles with long-range capabilities.

Lucid reported revenues of $336.6 million, up 68.3% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.2%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 35.4% since the results and currently trades at $11.16.

Read our full analysis of Lucid’s results here.

General Motors (NYSE: GM)

Founded in 1908 by William C. Durant, General Motors (NYSE: GM) offers a range of vehicles and automobiles through brands such as Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.

General Motors reported revenues of $48.59 billion, flat year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 7.9%. It was an incredible quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is up 39.6% since reporting and currently trades at $80.96.

Read our full, actionable report on General Motors here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Goodyear (NASDAQ: GT)

With its iconic blimp floating above major sporting events since 1925, Goodyear (NYSE: GT) is one of the world's largest tire manufacturers, producing and selling tires for automobiles, trucks, aircraft, and other vehicles, along with related services.

Goodyear reported revenues of $4.65 billion, down 3.7% year on year. This print lagged analysts' expectations by 0.7%. More broadly, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The stock is up 28.6% since reporting and currently trades at $8.90.

Read our full, actionable report on Goodyear here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Market Update

Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.

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