The headquarters of Hyundai Motor and Kia in Yangjae, Seoul [Hyundai Motor Group]
The headquarters of Hyundai Motor and Kia in Yangjae, Seoul [Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor and Kia set all-time July sales records in the United States, driven by strong demand for hybrid vehicles.

The two automakers sold a combined 165,284 units in the US last month, they announced Monday — a 5.0% increase from the same period last year.

Both brands individually set July records. Hyundai Motor, including Genesis, sold 89,427 units, up 3.7% year-on-year, while Kia sold 75,857 units, a 6.7% gain. Genesis alone accounted for 6,947 units, up 3.9%.

At Hyundai Motor, the Elantra led gains with sales of 17,115 units, up 38.5%, while the Tucson rose 20.2% to 19,714 units. The Santa Fe sold 13,373 units.

Kia's results were driven by recreational vehicles. The Sportage climbed 11.7% to 16,083 units, the Telluride rose 13.5% to 11,816 units, and the Carnival gained 22.8% to 7,279 units. The K4 posted sales of 12,094 units.

Genesis was lifted by the GV70, which rose 3.9% to 2,985 units, and the GV80, which gained 9.6% to 2,372 units.

Hybrid vehicle sales were a particular bright spot last month. Combined hybrid sales for Hyundai Motor and Kia jumped 52.2% to 43,727 units. Hyundai Motor's hybrid sales rose 35% to 22,733 units, while Kia's surged 76.6% to 20,994 units.

Electric vehicle sales fell 40.5% year-on-year to 7,210 units — 4,545 for Hyundai Motor and 2,665 for Kia — as the expiration of tax credits weighed on demand.

Eco-friendly vehicles accounted for 30.8% of combined Hyundai Motor and Kia sales in the US.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor and Kia surpassed 100,000 electric vehicle sales in Europe in the first half of this year, setting a first-half record. The two automakers sold 131,032 electric vehicles in Europe from January through June, they said Sunday — up 41.8% from the previous half-year record of 92,365 units set in the second half of last year. The result raised the prospect of the pair reaching 200,000 EV sales in Europe for the full year.


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