Hyundai Motor and Kia's U.S. Sales Down 12.7% in First Half of This Year... Eco-Friendly Vehicle Sales Up 82.1%

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Tae-min] Hyundai Motor and Kia's finished vehicle sales in the U.S. market for the first half of this year have decreased. However, sales of eco-friendly vehicles in the U.S. increased by 82.1% compared to the same period last year, marking the highest half-year sales on record.

Hyundai Motor Group announced on the 2nd that from January to June this year, it sold a total of 702,875 vehicles in the U.S. market, including 369,535 Hyundai vehicles (25,668 Genesis included) and 333,340 Kia vehicles. This represents a 12.7% decrease in sales compared to the same period last year. Hyundai's sales dropped by 13.3%, and Kia's sales decreased by 11.9% year-over-year.

The poor sales performance is attributed to production disruptions caused by semiconductor supply shortages. Considering the overall market downturn, Hyundai Motor Group explained that their performance was relatively strong. Other automakers that disclosed their first-half sales figures on the same day showed an average decrease of 19.9% compared to the same period last year.

Despite the overall sales decline, eco-friendly vehicles achieved strong results. Hyundai and Kia's eco-friendly vehicle sales for the first half totaled 90,691 units (47,598 Hyundai units and 43,093 Kia units), an 82.1% increase compared to the same period last year. Compared to the previous year, Hyundai's sales increased by 4.02%, and Kia's sales surged by 171.9%. This is the highest half-year sales volume on record. The previous half-year record was 60,843 units in the second half of last year.

By vehicle type, electric vehicles reached 34,518 units, a sharp increase of 317.6% compared to the same period last year, and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) sold 55,902 units, 35.1% more than last year. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) sold 271 units, an increase of 102.2% year-over-year.