Hot SUV Sales Give Hyundai an August Boost
After a so-so July, Hyundai Motor America’s sales bounced back in August with a 6% increase over the same time last year. Overall, Hyundai notched 57,542 sales for the month, thanks in large part to the continued surging demand for SUVs.
Hyundai vehicles were largely responsible for the sales increase, showing 8% growth over 2017 with 56,929 units sold.
Hyundai’s retail sales soared 12% for the month. Those gains more than offset a 30% drop in fleet deliveries, which only make up 10% of the automaker’s total sales.
“Hyundai’s double-digit retail sales increase is the result of our improving product mix, and the hard work of our dealer partners and sales and marketing teams,” said John Angevine, Hyundai Motor America’s director of National Sales. “It’s a great sign that Hyundai is regaining its sales momentum in the second half of the year.”
Hyundai’s Hottest Seller: Get the details on the 2018 Tucson SUV
Once again, the Tucson led the way for Hyundai. With 11,559 models sold, the SUV set an 18th straight monthly record and beat last year’s numbers by 19%. The new Kona crossover came on strong too, with 4,772 models sold. Overall, the automaker sold 27,678 crossovers and SUVs — a 30% gain compared to the same time last year and the best August SUV sales ever for Hyundai.
On the car front, Hyundai sold 15,475 Elantra models, a 2% increase over last August. Sales were down slightly for the Sonata and the Accent.
The news wasn’t so good for luxury brand Genesis, whose sales plunged 66% with just 613 vehicles sold. Hyundai says that decline was a consequence of the company’s decision to reduce the number of U.S. Genesis dealers. As part of that decision, imports were halted in the spring, which led to inventory shortages for 2018 models.
Meet the Newest Hyundai Model: Find out more about the 2018 Kona crossover
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