Hyundai, Kia car sales achieve double-digit growth in U.S. in July

Hyundai Motor Co.’s Genesis GV70. [Courtesy of Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. recorded double-digit sales growth in the U.S. last month, driven by their eco-friendly car lineup. Kia achieved its highest monthly sales for 12 consecutive months.

According to Hyundai Motor Group on Wednesday, the combined sales of Hyundai and Kia cars in the U.S. last month totaled 143,787 units, up 12.1 percent from a year ago.

Hyundai sold a total of 72,857 units, including its luxury brand Genesis (6,330 units), showing a 10.7 percent increase from the previous year. The sales surge was led by eco-friendly vehicles like Santa Fe Hybrid (sales up by 117.3 percent), electric vehicle Ioniq 5 (up 109 percent), and Tucson Plug-in Hybrid (up 44 percent).

Genesis sales grew by 21.7 percent, setting a new record for the highest monthly sales, boosted by the local production of the GV70 (2,525 units), GV80 (1,499 units), and G70 (1,310 units).

Kia’s July sales rose 14 percent to 79,300 units, also a new record for the highest July sales and extending its 12-month streak of monthly sales records.

Models like Niro (up 384 percent), Carnival (up 136 percent), and Seltos (up 39 percent) contributed significantly to the sales increase.

The combined sales of eco-friendly vehicles from both companies reached a new record at 26,498 units, accounting for 18.4 percent of the total sales, the highest percentage ever recorded.

Hyundai’s eco-friendly car sales continued to soar, reaching 15,392 units, up 77.7 percent from a year ago, setting a new monthly sales record for the second consecutive month. Kia sold 11,106 units, up 71.9 percent, maintaining its strong momentum.

The combined sales of electric vehicles from both companies in July surged by 109.1 percent to 10,385 units, surpassing the 10,000-unit milestone for the first time and setting a new record for the third consecutive month after 8,105 units in May and 8,835 units in June.

Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 (4,135 units) and Ioniq 6 (1,745 units) achieved the highest monthly sales, while Kia’s new Niro EV saw a 91.0 percent increase, selling 1,140 units. EV6 sales came to 1,937 units, up 12.9 percent.

Hybrid vehicles also performed well, with popular models like Sportage (3,607 units), Tucson (3,074 units), Sorento (2,450 units), Santa Fe (2,021 units), and Niro (1,972 units) leading the way, resulting in a 58.8 percent increase to 16,079 units sold.