Santa Fe, produced by Hyundai Motor.

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors’ SUV models are showing signs of growth in the U.S. auto market on the back of rising SUV sales.

Hyundai Motor America Sales Corp. (HMA) said 57,094 units were sold in the United /States in October.

The figure represented an 8.4 percent rise over the same month in the previous year when 52,653 units were sold. Hyundai Motor’s SUVs Santa Fe, and Tucson, and the subcompact crossover SUV Kona, rose 26 percent, 16 percent and 27 percent, respectively.

In particular, the number of SUV models sold in October stood at 32,140 units, the biggest-ever one.
Kia Motors America Sales Crops. (KIA) reported the selling of 50,007 units in October, a 10.9 percent surge from the same month in the previous year when 45,102 units were sold.

Sales of Kia Motors SUV Sorento and SUV Sportage jumped 30 percent and 15 percent, respectively, leading the rebound in the United States. KIA said 6,075 Tellruride units were sold. Kia Motors Tellruride, targeting mid- and large-size SUV manias, made its debut in the United States last March.

If Genesis sales were included by HMA and KIA, the figure stood at 109,036, an 11.1 percent jump over the same period in the previous year, when 98,127 units were sold. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors sold 1.09 million units in the first 10 months of the year in cumulative figure, surpassing the 1 million unit threshold for the ninth consecutive year.

German and Japanese car models, competing with Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors brands, had mixed results. Toyoda sold 188,787 units, a YoY 1.2 percent decline, while Honda and Volkswagen saw a 7.6 percent rise and a 5.7 percent increase, respectively.

The New Grandeur, produced by Hyundai Motor. (Photos: Hyundai Motor)

New Grandeur Logs Biggest-Ever Pre-Sale Record

The Grandeur, which has undergone a dramatic change, made history in the Korean automobile industry.

Hyundai Motor said on the first day pre-sales of the New Grandeur, Hyundai Motor’s flagship sedan, 17,294 units were booked, the most-ever.

The figure was 1,321 units more than the previous record of 15,973 units in pre-sale of the six-generation Grandeur, which made its debut in November 2016.

It is unprecedented that a face-lift model, not a full-change model, set the biggest-ever pre-sale record in the Korean automobile industry.

The New Grandeur, clocking the biggest-ever pre-sale record, has established itself as Hyundai Motor’s representative flagship model.