Record of 20 Million Cumulative Sales in 32 Years Since Entering the U.S. Market
Hyundai and Kia’s Competitiveness in the U.S.: Diverse Lineup and High Quality
Hyundai Motor Company and Kia continue steady growth in the U.S. market and are expected to achieve cumulative sales of 30 million units within this year.
On the 24th, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced that since starting sales in the U.S. market in 1986, their cumulative sales reached 29,303,995 units as of last February. This figure combines Hyundai’s sales of 17,116,065 units and Kia’s 12,187,930 units.
Last year, Hyundai sold 911,805 units and Kia sold 796,488 units, both achieving their highest-ever sales in the U.S. market. Hyundai and Kia ranked 4th for two consecutive years in the U.S. market, following GM, Toyota, and Ford.
Hyundai and Kia have strengthened their market position through high product competitiveness and flexible production systems, setting a goal to reach cumulative sales of 30 million units in the U.S. market this year.
Record of 20 Million Cumulative Sales in 32 Years Since Entering the U.S. Market
Hyundai and Kia entered the U.S. market in January 1986. Hyundai began exporting the sedan "Excel," produced at the Ulsan plant, to the U.S. In 2005, the 20th year since entering the U.S., Hyundai completed its first local production plant in Alabama in the southern U.S.
Kia established its U.S. sales corporation in 1992 and started selling the Sephia in February 1994 and the Sportage in November of the same year. Later, in 2006, Kia held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Georgia plant in West Point, Georgia, and after 3 years and 1 month of construction, completed it in 2010.
Hyundai and Kia surpassed 1 million cumulative sales in 1990 and exceeded 5 million in 2004. Seven years later, in 2011, they reached 10 million units, and by maintaining annual sales of 1 million units each year, they achieved the milestone of 20 million units in 2018.
Considering it took 25 years to surpass 10 million cumulative sales since starting sales in the U.S. in 1986, achieving 20 million sales in less than one-third of that time is a remarkable accomplishment.
The best-selling models in the U.S. market are Hyundai’s Avante (cumulative 3.88 million units) and Kia’s Sorento (1.83 million units).
Hyundai and Kia’s Competitiveness in the U.S.: Diverse Lineup and High Quality
Hyundai and Kia actively respond to market demand by diversifying their sales lineup with SUVs, Genesis, and eco-friendly vehicles.
Hyundai maintains a full SUV lineup ranging from the small SUV Venue to Kona, Tucson, Santa Fe, and the large SUV Palisade. Kia has also built a full SUV lineup starting with the Seltos, followed by Niro, Sportage, Sorento, and Telluride. Hyundai and Kia’s SUV sales accounted for more than 75% of total sales last year, with 1,284,066 units sold.
In 2016, Hyundai launched its premium brand Genesis in the U.S. market to target the luxury car segment. Genesis sold 6,948 units in its first year in the U.S. in 2016 and has steadily grown every year from 2021 through last year.
Hyundai and Kia have recently focused on electric vehicle sales to lead the electrification transition in the U.S. market. They entered the U.S. electric vehicle market in 2014 with the Kia Soul EV, followed by the launch of the Hyundai Ioniq EV in 2017.
Annual electric vehicle sales, which were around 1,000 units in the early years, reached 19,590 units in 2021, establishing Hyundai and Kia as major players in the electric vehicle market. In 2023, they sold 94,340 units, and last year set a record with 123,861 units sold, marking the first time annual U.S. electric vehicle sales exceeded 100,000 units.
Hyundai and Kia have also received positive reviews for quality in the U.S. market.
Over five years, four models from Hyundai and Kia were selected as North American Car, Truck and Utility Vehicle of the Year (NACTOY): Telluride in 2020, Avante in 2021, EV6 in 2023, and EV9 in 2024.
Additionally, in November last year, Hyundai and Kia received awards from U.S. market research firm J.D. Power’s "2025 Residual Value Awards (ALG Residual Value Awards)," with the Kona Electric winning in the electrified SUV category and the Telluride in the three-row midsize SUV category.
A Hyundai and Kia official stated, "We plan to quickly respond to the rapidly changing U.S. market by expanding our lineup and maintaining high product competitiveness, while producing not only electric vehicles but also hybrid vehicles at Hyundai Motor Group’s Meta Plant America (HMGMA), which began mass production in October last year."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
