The Elantra was Hyundai’s biggest-selling vehicle in 2018
Hyundai Motor America closed the book on 2018 with only a slight year-over-year decline in sales.
For the year, the automaker sold a total of 677,496 Hyundai and Genesis vehicles. That’s a 1 percent decrease compared to 2017, when it sold 685,555 vehicles.
Sales numbers for Hyundai vehicles actually increased by 0.4 percent: 667,634 in 2018 compared to 664,961 in 2017. Genesis sales declined nearly 50 percent: 10,312 in 2018 compared to 20,594 in 2017. Those numbers are expected to rise in 2019 as the brand completes implementation of a new dealership strategy.
The biggest bright spot for Hyundai was SUV sales. SUVs represented 45 percent of vehicles sold for the year, a new company record. Also setting a record for Hyundai was the total number of SUV sales, which topped 300,000 and bested last year by 24 percent.
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The Tucson was Hyundai’s second-ranking seller for 2018
Hyundai’s best-selling vehicle in 2018 was the Elantra compact sedan, with 200,415 units sold. Despite an industry-wide slump in sedan sales, the Elantra’s numbers represent a 1.1 percent improvement over last year, when 198,210 were sold.
Coming in second in overall sales for 2018 was the Tucson SUV. Hyundai sold 142,299 of these in 2018, an impressive gain of 24 percent over last year’s total of 114,735.
The Ioniq lineup of hybrid and electric sedans was another standout for Hyundai in 2018. Sales for these models increased to 15,076, a 35 percent improvement over 2017’s total of 11,197 sold.
The new Kona crossover also made strides in 2018, with a total of 47,090 units sold since its debut in February.
Looking ahead to 2019, Hyundai is counting on continued strong SUV sales, including the debut of the new Palisade this summer. The Palisade will fill a key gap in Hyundai’s lineup, providing a full-size, three-row option for buyers.
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