Hyundai, Kia to surpass 30 mn cumulative sales in US this year

Seoul: South Korea’s largest automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group is set to reach a major milestone of 30 million cumulative vehicle sales in the United States this year, continuing its steady growth in the key overseas market, the company said on Monday.

Since their entry into the U.S. market in 1986, Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. had sold a total of 29,303,995 vehicles as of the end of February. Hyundai accounted for 17,116,065 units, and Kia sold 12,187,930 units.

Last year, Hyundai sold 911,805 units, while Kia sold 796,488 units in the U.S., marking their best-ever annual sales performances in the country, reports Yonhap news agency.

Together, Hyundai and Kia ranked fourth in total sales in the country for the second consecutive year, following General Motors, Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co.

Building on this momentum, the South Korean automotive group said it aims to surpass the 30 million mark within the year by leveraging Hyundai and Kia’s strong product portfolios and flexible production capabilities.

Hyundai began exporting its Excel sedan to the U.S. in January 1986. In 2005, it completed its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Alabama.

Kia established its U.S. sales subsidiary in 1992 and began selling the Sephia and Sportage models in 1994. It broke ground on its Georgia plant in 2006, which was completed in early 2010.

The companies together reached 1 million units in cumulative sales in 1990 and 10 million units in 2011. In 2018, they achieved the 20 million-unit milestone.

Hyundai’s best-selling model in the U.S. has been the Elantra, known as the Avante in South Korea, with 3.88 million units sold since its American debut in 1991. For Kia, the Sorento has been the top seller, with 1.83 million units sold since its launch in 2002.

—IANS