As the Q4 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the automobile manufacturing industry, including Lucid (NASDAQ: LCID) and its peers.

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 mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 3.8%.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 13.3% since the latest earnings results.

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 $522.7 million, up 123% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 17.3%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a softer quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

"2025 was all about execution and strategy adjustment to set Lucid up for long-term success. Against a challenging macro backdrop, we nearly doubled production, gained market share, reduced unit costs, and strengthened our financial position," said Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO at Lucid.

Lucid achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth of the whole group. Still, the market seems discontent with the results. The stock is down 8.7% since reporting and currently trades at $8.79.

Is now the time to buy Lucid? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN)

The manufacturer of Amazon’s delivery trucks, Rivian (NASDAQ: RIVN) designs, manufactures, and sells electric vehicles and commercial delivery vans.

Rivian reported revenues of $1.29 billion, down 25.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. The business had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 8.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $15.22.

Is now the time to buy Rivian? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

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 $948 million, flat year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. Still, it was a slower quarter as it posted full-year revenue and EBITDA guidance missing analysts’ expectations.

As expected, the stock is down 8.9% since the results and currently trades at $96.65.

Read our full analysis of Visteon’s results here.

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 $45.89 billion, down 4.8% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 3.6%. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is down 9.7% since reporting and currently trades at $12.25.

Read our full, actionable report on Ford here, it’s free.

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 $45.29 billion, down 5.1% year on year. This result came in 1.1% below analysts' expectations. Aside from that, it was a strong quarter as it produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

General Motors had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is down 3.8% since reporting and currently trades at $76.44.

Read our full, actionable report on General Motors here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Strong Momentum Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.