Poor Performances in US
Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. saw their combined sales in the U.S. drop 11.1 percent in March.
According to industry sources on April 4, the two South Korean auto makers sold a combined 118,694 units in the U.S. market last month, down 11.1 percent from the same period last year. By brand, Hyundai Motor saw its sales decrease 8 percent on-year to 69,265 cars in March, while Kia's sales totaled 49,429 units, down 15.2 percent.
By model, Hyundai Motor sold 15,358 Sonata sedans in March, showing a whopping 46.6 percent decrease from 28,778 units a year earlier. Sales of the Kia Carnival and Soul also fell 34.7 percent and 30 percent, respectively, during the same period.
Accordingly, the market share of Hyundai-Kia Motors ranked seventh in the U.S. at 7.6 percent – Hyundai with 4.5 percent and Kia with 3.2 percent, following GM with 16.5 percent, Ford with 15.1 percent, Toyota with 13.8 percent, FCA with 12.3 percent, Nissan with 10.9 percent and Honda with 8.8 percent.
An official from Hyundai-Kia Motors said, “The sales in the U.S. declined largely due to the fact that there were no fresh models in our lineups. The new Sonata hasn’t released in the U.S. market yet.” Hyundai Motor will launch the new Sonata New Rise in the U.S. in June.