Hyundai, Kia Post Modest January Sales Gains

Hyundai and Kia sold a combined 78,914 units in January, up from 76,870 year-ago, and posted a daily selling rate of 3,160 units, up 2.8% from 3,175 a year earlier, Wards Intelligence data shows. There were 25 selling days in each month.

The Korean automakers claimed a combined 6.4% share of the U.S. market last month, up from 6.1% in January 2018.

Hyundai says utility-vehicle sales set a January record. The automaker’s best-selling model was the Santa Fe midsize CUV with 7,832 deliveries, up 2.0% from a year earlier. It was followed by the Tucson compact SUV, with 7,444 sales, down 2.5%. Its small CUV, the Kona, recorded 5,696 deliveries in its first January on the market.

Passenger cars continued to struggle. Sales of Hyundai’s most popular model, the Elantra sedan, totaled 9,942, but that was down 29.1% from year-ago.

Deliveries of all Hyundai and Genesis models were down a combined 1.9% from January 2018.

“We are pleased with Hyundai's start to 2019 as we hit our January objectives, following a record-breaking December and several challenges outside of our control,” John Cook, director-Sales Operations for Hyundai Motor America, says in a news release. “We've also started the year with many positives as Hyundai won several prestigious industry recognitions.”

Kia brand sales were up 4.9%, paced by the Soul subcompact car, whose 7,101 deliveries were up 19.6% from a year ago. It was followed by the Sorento CUV with 6,726 sales, up 9.9%; the Sportage CUV (5,963, up 4.4%); the Forte sedan (5,955, down 11%); and the Optima sedan (5,853, up 12.6%). Kia’s big gainer was the Sedona minivan, whose 1,348 deliveries were up 29.4% from the prior year.

“Not surprisingly, the CUV-centered market continues in the new year with Soul, Sorento and Sportage closing the month as Kia's three top-selling vehicles and providing the brand with a lot of momentum in January,” says Bill Peffer, vice president-sales for Kia Motors America. “With the all-new 2020 Soul and Telluride models scheduled to arrive in showrooms soon, we are confident that more consumers will continue taking notice of Kia's world-class offerings.”