Hyundai Motor, Kia ride World Cup wave to gains in Canada and Mexico

Atlas, Hyundai Motor's mascot, waves to the crowd during halftime of a Round of 16 match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 6 (local time). [Hyundai Motor]

Amid the excitement of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, Hyundai Motor and Kia have been expanding their footprint across all three co-host nations — not just the United States, but Canada and Mexico as well.

Hyundai Motor and Kia combined — including Genesis — sold 127,703 vehicles in Canada in the first half of this year, down 0.7 percent from the same period last year, according to the local auto industry. The group ranked fourth overall behind General Motors, Ford and Toyota. In the second quarter alone, combined sales reached 74,737 units, enough to leapfrog Ford and claim third place among automaker groups.

By brand, Hyundai Motor sold 75,132 vehicles in the first half, up 0.9 percent year on year, and ranked third among individual brands in the second quarter with 43,906 units, narrowly edging out Chevrolet. Kia's first-half sales of 48,336 units fell 3.9 percent.

First-half 2026 automaker group sales in Canada

SUVs drove the strong performance. The Tucson posted first-half sales of 25,380 units in Canada, up 35.4 percent from a year earlier — roughly one in every three Hyundai Motor vehicles sold in the country. The model also climbed one spot in the overall vehicle rankings, rising from seventh for full-year 2025 to sixth in the first half of this year.

The Kia Sportage sold 16,328 units over the same period, a jump of 37.7 percent, vaulting from 19th place for all of last year to 12th in the first half. In the second quarter, Sportage sales reached 9,514 units — up 29.3 percent year on year — marking the model's first entry into Canada's top 10 for a single quarter. The Tucson also placed seventh in the second quarter with 13,216 units, a 25.7 percent increase.

These gains came even as the broader Canadian auto market contracted. New-vehicle sales in Canada fell between 0.8 and 2.6 percent in the first half compared with a year earlier. Major brands and models posted notable declines — Toyota's RAV4 dropped 33.1 percent, Nissan fell 14.5 percent and Subaru slid 12.0 percent.

Three Mexico-exclusive World Cup Edition models Kia released in February — the K3, K4 and compact SUV Sportage. [Captured from Kia Mexico YouTube]

Mexico sales on track, led by K3 and Creta

In Mexico, both Hyundai Motor and Kia posted sales growth.

The Mexican new-vehicle market boomed in the first half of this year, with sales of around 754,000 units — up about 5 percent from the same period last year — setting a new first-half record.

Hyundai Motor's sales rose 4.7 percent and Kia's grew 3.6 percent. Kia ranked fifth overall and Hyundai Motor eighth.

Among individual models, Kia's locally tailored compact sedan, the K3, stood out. June sales of the K3 rose 13.5 percent from a year earlier, keeping the model in third place overall behind the Nissan Versa and Chevrolet Aveo.

The Kia K3 hatchback, Kia's best-selling model in Mexico. [Kia]

Sales of Hyundai Motor's compact SUV, the Creta, jumped 81.9 percent. Hyundai Motor's overall June sales growth of 15.3 percent far outpaced the market average of 7.5 percent.

Hyundai Motor and Kia have been ramping up local marketing efforts, leveraging their status as the only official FIFA World Cup automotive sponsor in the global auto industry.

In Mexico particularly, Hyundai Motor supplied the Palisade, Tucson and Santa Fe as official vehicles for FIFA personnel, and rolled out a series of campaigns featuring local football stars, World Cup special-edition models and test-drive events. The Mexico national team's official bus also carried Hyundai Motor's World Cup campaign livery.

Kia, too, has benefited from the World Cup marketing push. The World Cup Edition lineup — based on the K3, K4 and Sportage and launched in February — has been well received locally and is credited with adding momentum to the brand's sales growth.

kwater@heraldcorp.com