Ford, Honda Expected to Hike Share of U.S. Market

Only two carmakers are likely to increase their U.S. market share between 2013 and 2017, predicts Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Research.

Analyst John Murphy tells the Automotive Press Assn. in Detroit that Ford and Honda each will gain half a percentage point to 16.2% and 10.3%, respectively, by then.

Murphy's annual Car Wars analysis predicts market shares for General Motors (17.9%), Fiat Chrysler (11.5%), Toyota (14.4%) and Korean carmakers (8.1%) will remain unchanged over the four-year period. He says Nissan and European carmakers each will lose 0.2 points, slipping to 8.3% and 7.8%, respectively.

Murphy forecasts that passenger-car sales in the U.S. will reach a record 18 million by 2018 and remain at about that level for several years. He says new products will help drive the increase, with 36 new models due this year and 48 in 2014.