Hyundai’s U.S. operations produced record sales in calendar year 2014 and in the process outsold Kia – which also reported record sales last year – by an average of 12,000 sales per month. That gap was narrower than in 2013, when Hyundai typically outsold Kia by more than 15,000 sales per month.
But after outselling its Kia partner by 6,206 units in January of this year, 8475 units in February, 16,248 in March (Hyundai Motor America’s best ever month), and 14,727 units in April, Hyundai’s favourable gap narrowed to only 1,177 units in May.
Yes, May, Kia Motors America’s best ever month and a month in which Hyundai sales declined 10%, year-over-year. Compared with May 2014, Hyundai’s U.S. market share slid from 4.41% to 3.89%. Kia, on the other hand, saw its market share increase from 3.73% in May 2014 to 3.82%.
Every Hyundai except the Elantra posted decreased volume, year-over-year. At Kia, despite declines from the Cadenza, K900, Optima, Rio, and Soul, the brand’s sales were up 4% because of a 19% Forte increase, a 2% Sorento improvement, and the Sedona’s 3,371-unit, 456% increase.
With 26 selling days in May 2015, Kia sold 2,401 vehicles per day last month, just 46 fewer sales per day than Hyundai.
Will Kia be able to overcome that 2% margin in the near future, or was this just the result of a confluence of incentive, inventory, and oddly timed events?
Timothy Cain is the founder of GoodCarBadCar.net, which obsesses over the free and frequent publication of U.S. and Canadian auto sales figures. Follow on Twitter @goodcarbadcar and on Facebook.
The post Chart Of The Day: Is Kia About To Catch Hyundai In U.S. Sales? appeared first on The Truth About Cars.
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