Hyundai, Kia luxury lineups expand market share in U.S.

South Korea’s top carmaker Hyundai Motor Co. and its smaller affiliate Kia Motors Corp. saw their combined market share in the luxury car segment climb up last year in the United States, industry data showed Monday.

Combined sales of Hyundai’s Genesis and Equus and Kia’s K9 in the United States advanced 3.1 percent on-year in 2014 to 23,878 units, according to the data. The market share of the three luxury sedans also inched up 0.5 percent point to 7.2 percent over the cited period in the U.S. premium car market.

By model, the rear-wheel drive Genesis sedan was the best seller among the three with 19,133 units in sales last year, followed by the Equus and K9 at 3,415 units and 1,330 units, respectively, the data showed.

The increased presence came despite slowing sales of premium-labeled vehicles in the U.S. as a whole. A total of 332,174 luxury cars were sold in the U.S. market last year, down 3.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the data.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz had the largest share in the U.S. luxury car market at 27.6 percent, with BMW and General Motors Co. trailing with a 19 percent share and a 16.7 percent interest respectively, the data showed. 

Combined market share of Hyundai and Kia ranked at sixth place. (Yonhap)