SEOUL — South
Korea's Hyundai Motor Group said on Sunday it has posted record sales in the
United States in 2024, driven by the popularity of SUVs, minivans and
eco-friendly models.
Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister company Kia Corp sold a
combined 1.7 million units of automobiles in the U.S. market last year, up 3.4
per cent from a year earlier, the group said.
The figure exceeded the previous record of 1.65 million
units posted in 2023, reports Yonhap news agency.
Hyundai Motor saw its sales jump 4.8 per cent to 911,805
units, while Kia's sales rose 1.8 per cent to 796,488 units, the data showed.
Sales of Genesis, Hyundai's premium line, soared 8.4 per
cent on-year to reach 75,003 units, the group added.
Hyundai saw sales of the Palisade SUV rise 23 per cent to
110,055 units in 2024, while sales of the Ioniq 5 electric model jumped 31 per
cent to 44,400 units in the U.S. market.
"Despite global uncertainties, along with regulations
such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, the company was able to achieve solid
performance thanks to the popularity of (SUVs, minivans) and eco-friendly
models," an official from the company said.
Hyundai Motor Group, meanwhile, ranked as the fourth-largest
player in the U.S. automobile market for the second consecutive year in 2024.
General Motors topped the list with 2.68 million units,
followed by Japan's Toyota with 2.33 million units. Ford came in third with
2.06 million units.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor's annual sales slipped 1.8 per cent
from a year earlier in 2024 due mainly to a decline in domestic demand. Hyundai
Motor sold 4,141,791 units last year, down from 4,216,898 units sold the
previous year, the company said in a press release.
Domestic sales fell 7.5 per cent on-year to 705,010 units,
while overseas sales edged down 0.5 per cent to 3,436,781 units.
