Seoul, Feb 4 Hyundai Motor and Kia reported record vehicle sales for January in the United States, driven by strong demand for sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and hybrid models, the automakers said on Wednesday.
The two automakers sold a combined 125,296 vehicles in the U.S. last month, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier, according to the companies, reports Yonhap news agency.
Hyundai Motor, including its luxury brand Genesis, sold 60,794 units, up 2.4 percent on-year, while Kia's sales jumped 13.1 percent to 64,502 units. Both brands marked their highest-ever sales for the month of January.
Hyundai Motor's performance was backed by strong SUV sales. Palisade SUV sales climbed 28.7 percent on-year to 8,604 units, while those of the Kona compact SUV rose 21.9 percent to 5,321 units.
The sales boost of Kia was supported by sharp gains across key models. Sales of the Seltos compact SUV spiked 85.8 percent to 5,278 units, and those of the Carnival minivan soared 60.4 percent to 5,879 units.
The companies' combined hybrid vehicle sales surged 65.7 percent to 27,489 units, with Hyundai Motor and Kia posting increases of 51.9 percent and 83.8 percent, respectively.
In contrast, combined electric vehicle (EV) sales fell 33.7 percent on-year to 4,471 units, reflecting the continued effect of Washington's auto tariffs and rollback of related subsidies.
Meanwhile, sales of imported vehicles in South Korea jumped 37.6 percent in January from a year earlier, buoyed by strong demand for Tesla and BYD electric vehicle (EV) models, industry data showed.
New registrations of imported cars rose to 20,960 units last month from 15,229 units a year earlier, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association (KAIDA).
The three bestselling models in January were the Mercedes-Benz E 200 sedan, the BMW 520 sedan and the Tesla Model Y, the data showed.
Sales of Tesla vehicles surged to 1,966 units last month from just five a year earlier. BYD sales totalled 1,347 units last month, as BYD Korea Co., the South Korean unit of China's BYD Co., began local operations in January last year, with sales first reported from March.
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