Hyundai, Kia Release Their US, China Sales Figures

Sales for both Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corp are off to a great start this year, with sales in the U.S. and China on the rise.

Much of the success is down to the increased demand for compact sedans and SUV’s in both markets.

Hyundai Motors America (HMA) and Kia Motors America (KMA) announced that their sales for the month of January had increased by 1% and 2% respectively when compared to the same period last year.

Hyundai Sales In The USA

HMA started selling cars in the U.S. back in 1986, but the 44,005 units they sold last month represents the best January sales figures since that time.

One of the big winners for Hyundai was the newly refreshed 2014 Elantra compact car, which accounted for 15,326 units sold.

That sales figure represents a rather dramatic 25.9% increase over the 12,174 units sold in January of last year.

Both the Sport and long wheelbase version of the Santa FE SUV did well too, combining for 6,721 units and a 12.2% sales increase.

It wasn’t all great news, though, as the Sonata 4-door sedan dipped below its expected 10,000 units to deliver only 9,815 sales.

There is a pretty solid reason for that decline, as the expectation is that U.S. consumers are waiting to see the 2015 Sonata  get unveiled at the New York International Auto Show in April.

Top-Selling Hyundai Models

– ELANTRA

– SONATA SEDAN

– SANTA FE SUV

Kia’s US Market Sales

Kia America announced a total of 37,011 units sold for the month of January, with the funky Soul and the Optima mid-size sedan the stars of their show.

Sales of the Soul jumped by 9.6% over last year to reach 8,092 units. The Optima fell of a little over last year, but was still able to account for 9,979 units during the month of January 2014.

Best-Selling Kia Models

– OPTIMA SEDAN

– SOUL CROSSOVER

– SORENTO SUV

Hyundai Sales In China

The Chinese market is one of the fastest growing in the world, with Hyundai and Kia able to combine for 175,224 units sold.

That is an impressive 7% gain over the 163,090 units posted during January, 2013. Hyundai accounted for 115,198 of those units, while Kia had 60,026.

Chinese affiliate, Beijing Hyundai Motor Co., announced that sales of the Langdong and Yuedong compacts, the Mistra sedan, and the Verna subcompact helped boost sales.

The newly released Mistra did particularly well, racking up 11,749 units in sales. The success is seen by many as a sign that Hyundai are ready to compete in the busy Chinese midsize segment.

Kia Sales In China

DongfengYuedaKia Automobile Co., Kia’s joint venture in China, reported that sales of the Sportage SUV, as well as the K2, K3, and K5 all topped the 5,000 unit mark.

Combined sales of all the abovementioned vehicles accounted for almost 72% of Kia’s sales in China.

The 2014 goals for each company sees Hyundai looking to sell 1.08 million units, while Kia are shooting for 630,000 units.

Both companies feel that the Chines automobile market is set to grow by as much as 11.6% throughout 2014.

In order to keep up with the competition, they plan on implementing stricter quality measures, whilst also building their brand image.