April 18, 2024

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Hyundai Motor and affiliate Kia Motors said on July 5 they posted a 2.7 percent on-year increase in US sales in the first half of the year, helped by robust demand for their SUVs.

In the January-June period, Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 638,172 vehicles in the United States, up from 621,349 units a year earlier, according to their sales data.

Hyundai’s US sales rose 1.7 percent on-year to 333,328 units in the first six months and Kia’s climbed 3.8 percent to 304,844 units over the cited period, the data showed.

In particular, Hyundai reported a sales increase in the US market for the 11th consecutive month in June, driven by strong sales of the Palisade, Santa Fe and Kona SUVs.

“June was a momentous month for Hyundai as we started sales of our flagship and most premium SUV ever, the Palisade. While there is some overall industry slowing, we continue to outperform the market and increase our share as our product mix is aligning with consumers’ SUV preferences, along with a versatile lineup of cars and alternative-powered vehicles,” Randy Parker, vice president in charge of national sales at Hyundai Motor America, said in a statement.

Last month, Hyundai’s sales went up 1.5 percent on-year to 64,202 units and Kia’s were also up 0.4 percent to 56,801 helped by the Telluride SUV, which was launched this year in the US market, the data showed.

By Ram Garikipati and newswires (ram@heraldcorp.com)