Hyundai-Kia grabs 10% of U.S. market

Published : Jun 2, 2011 - 19:04 Updated : Jun 3, 2011 - 14:33

Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. saw their U.S. market share exceed 10 percent for the first time in May, mainly thanks to robust demand for new models.

The automakers under the wing of Hyundai Motor Group sold 107,426 vehicles in the United States last month, up 21 percent from a year earlier.

They captured 10.1 percent of the American market, where the total sales of global automakers came to about 1.06 million units.

Kia Motors sold 48,212 units, posting a growth rate of 53.4 percent. Hyundai Motor posted 21 percent in yearly growth with sales of 59,214 vehicles.

“We had brisk sales in overseas markets including the U.S.,” a Hyundai company spokesman said. “By strengthening power as a global enterprise, we will continue to achieve the sales goal.”

The Genesis sedan’s sustained growth trajectory continued with May representing the 23rd consecutive month of year-on-year sales increases for Hyundai’s premium car.

The Equus sedan continued its strong launch, with sales and market share exceeding targeted levels.

While Hyundai sales were strong in all states of the U.S., California was the brightest spot, with sales up 95 percent for the first five months, compared to 2010.

But performance was below predictions from research centers that the Korean automotive group would grab third place in the sales rankings in May.

U.S. auto giant General Motors topped the list with sales of 221,192 units, followed by Ford Motor with 191,529, Chrysler with 115,363 and Japan’s Toyota Motor with 108,387.

“While we’ve still got a lot of work to do, we’re getting good responses to our consumer-driven Hyundai recipe ― assurance programs like Trade-In Value Guarantee and America’s Best Warranty, industry-leading fuel economy, and the freshest designs in the industry,” Hyundai Motor America’s president and CEO John Krafcik was quoted by a foreign news agency as saying.

During the first quarter of the year, Hyundai Motor Group’s share of the U.S. market for midsized sedans rose to a record high, industry data showed.

Meanwhile, according to industry data, 66,554 units of Hyundai Motor’s Sonata and Kia Motors’ K5, known as the Optima in overseas markets, were sold in the U.S. during the first three months of the year, giving the companies a combined midsized sedan market share of 15.1 percent.

In terms of units sold, Hyundai Motor Group’s first quarter midsized sedan sales increased 62.3 percent compared to the 41,013 units ― the Sonata and the previous Optima which was marketed as the Lotze in Korea ― sold during the same period last year.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)

<한글 기사>

현대기아, 5월 美시장점유율 첫 10% 돌파

현대기아차가 지난 5월 미국 자동차 시장에서 사상 처음으로 점유율 10%를 넘어섰다.

현대차미국법인(HMA)은 1일(현지시간) 지난달 미국 시장에서 작년 동기보다 21% 증가한 5만9천214대를 판매한 것으로 집계됐다고 발표했다.

이는 5월 판매실적으로는 역대 최고치로, 5개월 연속 월간 판매 신기록을 갈아 치웠다.

기아차미국법인(KMA)은 4만8천212대를 팔아 주요 업체 중 가장 높은 53.4%의 판매신장률을 기록했다.

월간 실적으로는 사상 최대치이며, 3개월 연속 판매기록을 세웠다.

양사를 합친 월간 판매량은 10만7천426대에 달해 미국 전체 자동차 판매량(106 만1천841대)의 10.1%를 차지했다.

현대차가 1986년 미국 시장에 진출한 이후 현대기아차의 시장 점유율이 두자릿수를 기록한 것은 이번이 처음이다.

현대기아차는 이로써 닛산(7만6천148대)과 혼다(9만773대)를 제치고 미국 시장 5위에 올랐다. 10만8천387대를 팔며 순위가 4위로 떨어진 도요타와의 격차는 961대에 불과했다.

미국 GM은 작년 5월보다 19% 증가한 22만1천192대로 1위를 지켰고, 작년보다 9% 늘어난 19만1천529대를 판매한 포드가 2위에 올랐다. 3위는 크라이슬러(11만5천363 대)가 차지했다.

(연합뉴스)