Hyundai Posts Strong Finish to 2018 with 3 Percent December Sales Increase

Hyundai Motor America finished the year on a high note, reporting record December sales to go with a 3 percent increase over the same month in 2017. Retail sales were up 4 percent.

A total of 65,721 Hyundai and Genesis vehicles were sold in December, compared with 63,594 sales a year ago. Of those sales, 65,107 were for Hyundai vehicles. That’s a 6 percent increase over December 2017.

SUVs and crossovers continued their surge for Hyundai, setting a new monthly sales record for the fifth straight month. They claimed 53 percent of the month’s total retail sales — an all-time high for the automaker.

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“In 2018 we focused on reinventing and expanding our SUV lineup and customers responded in the second half of the year, with SUV retail mix exceeding 50% for the first time in December,” said John Cook, Hyundai Motor America’s director of sales operations.

The Tucson led the way with a 32 percent increase in comparison with December 2017, setting a monthly sales record for the 22^nd straight month. Other strong SUV sales performers for the month included the Santa Fe (with a 46 percent increase in retail sales) and the new Kona (which had its best month yet with 8,000 sold).

Three cars also made December sales gains for Hyundai. The Sonata mid-size sedan notched a 2 percent increase, Veloster hatchback sales soared 54 percent, and Ioniq sales rose 40 percent.

The news wasn’t quite as good for Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand. In the midst of a shift in dealership strategy, Genesis has endured slow sales for months. December was no exception. The brand sold 614 vehicles in December, a 68 percent decrease compared to the same time in 2017.

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