Hyundai Motor and Kia See 1% Increase in U.S. Auto Sales in October

Electric Vehicle Sales Increase by 80%

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia's U.S. automobile sales in October this year increased by about 1% compared to a year ago.

Hyundai Motor America (HMA) announced on the 1st (local time) that new car sales last month reached 60,805 units, up 0.3% from 60,604 units in the same month last year. This marks the 15th consecutive month of growth.

Among total automobile sales, retail sales were recorded at 54,145 units, down 7% compared to the same period last year.

Sales of eco-friendly vehicles, which account for 21% of retail sales, increased by 49% to 11,286 units.

By model, sales of the electric vehicle Ioniq 5 increased by 89% during the same period. The Elantra Hybrid (15%), Santa Fe Hybrid (81%), Tucson Plug-in Hybrid (170%), and Tucson Hybrid (14%) all set record-high sales.

HMA stated regarding the October sales performance that "the industry demand decreased by 1% compared to last year, which had an impact."

Kia America (KA) announced that new car sales last month reached 59,064 units, up 1.5% from 58,276 units in the same month last year. This is the largest sales volume ever recorded for October. The 15-month consecutive sales growth trend also continued.

Kia's electric vehicle model sales increased by 83% compared to a year ago. By model, the Carnival (172%), Rio (44%), and EV6 (30%) showed clear growth trends.

Eric Watson, Vice President of Sales at KA, said, "The 2024 EV9, which is about to be released soon, is gaining early traction with consumers as pre-orders begin," adding, "We expect to surpass last year's total sales performance within November and achieve the highest annual sales record."