General Motors vs Ford: Old Rivals But One Stock Is A Better Buy

General Motors and Ford reported Q1 2026 results with divergent strategies and outcomes, illustrating two paths for legacy automakers. GM beat earnings expectations with adjusted EPS of $3.70 and EBIT-adjusted of $4.25 billion on $43.62 billion in revenue, though a $1.08 billion EV capacity realignment charge trimmed GAAP earnings to $2.82 per share. GM also highlighted that OnStar revenue rose above $750 million, up more than 20% year over year, and that the company holds a 42% share of the U.S. full-size pickup market. Ford posted $43.25 billion in revenue, $0.66 per-share earnings, and net income of $2.55 billion, driven by F-Series and commercial software growth.

Ford faced ongoing losses in its Model e division, totaling about $777 million, and a negative free cash flow of roughly $1.87 billion, while IT and subscriptions momentum for Ford Pro climbed to 879,000 paid subscriptions. The automaker announced a broader investment plan, including $1 billion into the Universal EV platform, $1.5 billion in Ford Energy capex, and a 2027 Louisville-built, affordable EV, as GM moves to shrink its EV footprint and shift Orion back to internal combustion. With raised FY26 adjusted EPS guidance to $11.50–$13.50 and Ford's raised EBIT guidance to $8.5–$10.5 billion, both stocks reflect different risk-reward profiles.