Despite the global recession, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors enjoyed record-high August sales in the United States last month thanks to the rising popularity of their SUV models.
According to industry sources on September 2, Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold 130,909 units in the U.S. market last month, up 5 percent from a year ago. This figure represents the highest August sales there in their history.
The car makers each sold 72,012 units and 58,097 units, respectively, up 2.9 percent and 7.7 percent year on year. Their U.S. market share stood at 8.3 percent last month, up 0.4 percentage points from 7.9 percent a month ago.
This sales growth rate is the second highest among the top-seven global auto makers in the U.S. market, falling behind Ford’s 5.6 percent. In contrast, GM registered a 0.7-percent decline in sales to 270,480 units last month, while Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan also suffered a negative year-on-year growth of 1.2 percent, 8.8 percent, 6.9 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively.
