Kia's January US Sales Hit Record High as SUVs Race Ahead from New Year...

Hyundai Motor and Kia Sell Over 91,000 Units in January, Up 7.9% Year-on-Year
Kia Achieves Record January Sales; Hyundai Also Hits Highest Retail Sales Point

On the 15th, the new logo of Kia Motors was displayed on the exterior wall of the Kia Motors headquarters building in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The new logo removes the previous red oval border and presents the alphabet "KIA" in a simple and futuristic style. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] Hyundai Motor Company and Kia are accelerating rapidly in the United States, the world's largest automobile market, starting from the new year. In particular, Kia, led by its sport utility vehicles (SUVs), sold about 45,000 units in the U.S. in January alone, breaking its all-time record.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia announced on the 3rd that they sold a total of 91,173 units (including Genesis) wholesale in the U.S. in January. This marks positive growth for two consecutive months following December last year, representing a 7.9% increase compared to the same month before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hyundai Motor Company sold 43,394 units in January, about 2% more than the same month last year. On a retail basis targeting individual customers, it sold 40,597 units, setting a new record for January sales. Kia recorded an all-time high with 44,965 units, an 11.4% increase. The premium brand Genesis also saw sales double, increasing by 101.1% to 2,814 units. The company explained that this was influenced by the GV80, which began full-scale sales at the end of last year.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia's performance clearly contrasts with major Japanese automakers competing in the U.S. market. According to industry sources, Toyota's sales in January were about 166,000 units, increasing by only 0.2%, while Honda recorded a 9.2% decrease with about 92,000 units sold. Subaru and Mazda saw slight increases of 0.2% and 6.9%, selling approximately 46,000 and 25,000 units respectively.

The rapid growth of Hyundai Motor Company and Kia was driven by SUV models. The total number of SUVs sold by Hyundai Motor Company and Kia in January was 59,950 units, a 19.5% increase compared to the previous year. SUVs accounted for 65% of total sales. The top-selling vehicles were also dominated by SUVs. For Hyundai Motor Company, the Santa Fe ranked first with 8,714 units sold, a 45% increase, followed by the Tucson with 7,980 units. Kia's Telluride (6,626 units) and Sportage (5,913 units) ranked second and third respectively.

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia plan to expand their market share by launching numerous new SUV models in the U.S. this year. Hyundai plans to release the new Tucson, Genesis GV70, electric vehicle Ioniq 5, and the new pickup truck (PV) Santa Cruz, while Kia will introduce five new models.

Randy Parker, Vice President of Sales at Hyundai Motor America (HMA), said, "We are optimistic about continuously increasing sales volume and market share this year." Yoon Seung-gyu, Vice President and Head of Kia Motors America (KMA) and North America Division, also stated, "We plan to launch five new models this year, and sales growth will continue beyond the first quarter."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.