Hyundai Motor Group noted on the 24th that there is a high possibility that the combined cumulative sales of Hyundai Motor and Kia in the U.S. market will exceed 30 million units this year.
Since starting sales in the U.S. market in 1986, Hyundai Motor and Kia recorded cumulative sales of 29,303,995 units by February of this year. Hyundai Motor has sold 17,116,065 units, while Kia has sold 12,187,930 units.
Last year, Hyundai Motor sold 911,805 units, and Kia sold 796,488 units, achieving record high sales for both companies in the U.S. Hyundai Motor and Kia ranked 4th in sales for two consecutive years, following General Motors (GM), Toyota, and Ford in the U.S. market.
Hyundai Motor's entry into the U.S. market began in January 1986. The company first exported the Excel sedan produced at its Ulsan plant, and in 2005, marking 20 years of entry into the U.S. market, it completed its first local production plant in Alabama.
Kia established its U.S. sales subsidiary in 1992 and began selling its Sephia model in February 1994 and the Sportage in November. Subsequently, it completed a local plant in Georgia in 2010.
Since surpassing a cumulative sales figure of 1 million units in 1990, Hyundai Motor and Kia exceeded 5 million units in 2004. Seven years later, in 2011, they recorded 10 million units, and since then, they have surpassed annual sales of 1 million units every year. The combined cumulative sales of 20 million units were surpassed in 2018.
The most sold Hyundai model in the U.S. market is the Elantra, known as the Avante locally. The Avante began sales in the U.S. in 1991 and has sold 3.88 million units as of February this year. Following it are the Sonata (3.42 million units) and Santa Fe (2.38 million units), and Tucson (1.87 million units).
Kia has sold 1.83 million units of the Sorento since it started sales in the U.S. in 2002. The Sportage (1.66 million units), Soul (1.52 million units), and K5 (1.5 million units) follow.
Since 2016, Hyundai Motor Group has been selling its luxury brand Genesis in the U.S. Genesis sold 75,003 units last year and surpassed 70,000 units in annual sales for the first time since entering the U.S. market.
Recently, Hyundai Motor and Kia have received high praise for their quality in the U.S. market. Over the past five years, Hyundai Motor and Kia have had four models, including the Telluride in 2020, the Avante in 2021, the EV6 in 2023, and the EV9 in 2024, selected as "North American Car of the Year."
Also, Hyundai Motor and Kia won awards for the Kona Electric in the institutional sector of electric sports utility vehicles (SUV) and the Telluride in the institutional sector of mid-size SUVs, as announced by the market research firm J.D. Power last November.
Hyundai Motor and Kia completed and began operations at Meta Plant America (HMGMA), a facility dedicated to eco-friendly vehicles, in October last year. A representative from Hyundai Motor Group said, "In addition to electric vehicles, we plan to produce hybrid vehicles to swiftly respond to the rapidly changing U.S. market."