Hyundai-Kia's U.S. Sales Rise Thanks to New SUVs
13 January, 2020
Hyundai and its affiliate Kia said on Sunday their sales in the U.S. have increased for the first time in three years largely thanks to strong SUV sales.
The two carmakers sold about 1.325 million cars combined in the U.S. market last year, up 4.6 percent from 2018. Hyundai's sales rose 4.7 percent to 710,000 and Kia's 4.4 percent to 615,000.
This led their combined share there to increase from 7.3 percent to 7.7 percent over the same period.
The main reason was the expanded lineups of SUVs.
Hyundai added the large Palisade and the small Venue last year to its lineup in the U.S., which already included the best-selling Santa Fe and small Tucson, while Kia released the large Telluride and the hybrid Niro in addition to the mid-sized Sorrento and compact Sportage and Soul.
But an economic slowdown has taken a toll on the overall car industry in the world's largest economy.
According to U.S. weekly Automotive News, a total of 17.08 million cars were sold in the U.S. last year, down 1.1 percent on-year. Major carmakers including GM, Ford and Toyota suffered sales declines.
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