2024.06.07
Hyundai Motor Group sells record No. of green vehicles in U.S. in May
By
Park Je-wan, Moon Gwang-min and Chang Iou-chung, Pulse by Maeil Business - South
Korea’s auto giant Hyundai Motor Group has achieved a new record for monthly
sales of eco-friendly vehicles in the United States.
According
to the conglomerate on Monday, Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. sold a combined
159,558 vehicles in the U.S. in May, marking a rebound just one month after a
sales decline in April.
Compared
to the same period a year earlier, sales rose 8.5 percent in May.
Among
global automakers that have disclosed their May sales data, Hyundai Motor Group
ranked second in terms of sales growth, following Toyota (15.7 percent).
Monthly
sales at Honda Motor Co. jumped 6.4 percent in May, Subaru Corp. increased 7
percent, and Mazda Motor Corp. gained 6.9 percent.
The
rebound in Hyundai Motor Group’s sales in the U.S. was driven by increased
sales of eco-friendly vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in
hybrid EVs, battery EVs, and fuel cell EVs.
The
combined sales of Hyundai Motor Group’s eco-friendly models increased by 30.9
percent year-over-year to 34,288 units in May, setting a new monthly sales
record in the U.S. The share of eco-friendly vehicles in its entire sales also
exceeded 20 percent for the first time, reaching 21.5 percent.
Hyundai
Motor led hybrid sales with a record 13,245 units, while Kia led electric
vehicle sales with 7,197 units, breaking the monthly sales record for
all-electric vehicles for the second consecutive month.
Riding
on the recovery of its U.S. sales, Hyundai Motor Group is launching a major
campaign to encourage customers to switch to EVs, contrasting with other major
global automakers who are significantly revising their electrification
strategies due to a slowdown in EV demand.
Meanwhile,
in Korea, Kia unveiled the specifications and pricing of its small electric
sports utility vehicle, the Kia EV3, on Monday, and has started receiving
orders.
The
price is set at 42.08 million won ($30,603) before EV tax benefits, and 39.95
million won after eco-friendly vehicle registration completion.
With
government and local subsidies, the actual purchase price is expected to drop
to the low-to-mid 30 million won range. In regions with larger subsidies, the
price could fall to the mid-20 million won range.