Hyundai Motor and Kia sold the most hybrid cars ever in the United States last month, but total sales fell about 2% from a year earlier.
Hyundai Motor and Kia said on the 4th that their combined U.S. sales in April were 159,216 vehicles. That was down 2.1% from the same period a year earlier.
Hyundai Motor fell 1.5% to 86,513 vehicles, and Kia also declined 2.8% to 72,703. Genesis, included under Hyundai Motor, rose 0.8% to 6,356.
The decline in April sales is analyzed as a base effect from front-loaded purchases last year due to tariffs. The United States began imposing a 25% tariff on imported cars in April last year, and purchases increased among consumers concerned about higher vehicle prices.
However, hybrids continued to sell well. Hyundai Motor and Kia's April eco-friendly vehicle sales were 48,425, up 47.6% from a year earlier. Hybrids surged 57.8% to an all-time high of 41,239, driving overall results. EVs rose 7.7% to 7,186. As a result, eco-friendly vehicles accounted for 30.4% of Hyundai Motor and Kia's U.S. sales.
By model, Hyundai Motor sold many Tucsons (22,024), Elantras (14,778) and Palisades (11,324). At Kia, the Sportage (15,803), K4 (13,214) and Telluride (12,577) ranked near the top.
Meanwhile, other global automakers beyond Hyundai Motor and Kia also struggled in the U.S. market in April. Toyota fell 4.6% to 222,378, while Honda (137,405) and Subaru (52,733) saw sales decline 0.2% and 5.9%, respectively. Mazda (31,128) posted a 17.3% drop.