Photo: Hyundai
Despite the auto industry’s ongoing issues with chip shortages and lagging inventory, Hyundai Motor America still managed to beat sales expectations for September.
Hyundai Palisade Guide: Get the details on each of this premium SUV’s trim levels
Hyundai sold 53,800 vehicles for the month. Although that total is a 2 percent decrease compared to a year ago, it was far ahead of forecasts that predicted a 25 percent drop in sales for the industry as a whole. Hyundai’s September total also included 49,439 retail sales, down 5 percent from the previous year.
“Hyundai dealerships continue to do an outstanding job of working with customers during this challenging inventory environment, resulting in market share gains for the brand,” said Randy Parker, Hyundai Motor America’s senior vice president of national sales.
Hyundai also reported sales results for the third quarter — and here, the automaker was ahead of where it was a year ago. Overall, quarterly sales were up 4 percent with 178,500 units moved. Hyundai’s quarterly retail sales totaled 162,616 for a 1 percent increase. Models with total sales gains for the quarter included the Sonata, Elantra, Accent, Ioniq, and Venue.
September’s top-selling Hyundai models
September was an especially good month for some of Hyundai’s smaller models. Sales for the Venue small SUV reached 2,877 — an 88 percent increase. The Ioniq lineup of hybrid and electric hatchbacks sold 1,770 units and was up 61 percent. The Accent subcompact sedan rose 34 percent with 1,813 units sold.
Due to inventory issues, most of Hyundai’s bestselling vehicles experienced decreases in September. The Tucson SUV led the lineup with 9,896 sales, but that number was down 7 percent compared to September 2020. The Kona and Santa Fe posted decreases as well, as did the Elantra and Sonata sedans.
One big exception was the Palisade full-size SUV. This model had its best September ever, notching 7,962 sales for a 3 percent gain.
For more on Hyundai vehicles, sales, and company developments, be sure to check out our coverage here at The News Wheel.
A longtime editor/writer and recently transplanted Hoosier, Caleb Cook lives in Xenia, Ohio. His favorite activities are reading and listening to music, although he occasionally emerges from the heap of books and vinyl records in his basement to stand blinking in the sunlight. Once fully acclimated to the outside world again, he can be observed hanging out with his wife, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, attending movies, walking the dog, or wandering into a local brewery to inquire about what’s on tap. See more articles by Caleb.