Hyundai Sales Figures July 2011

Car sales in the US market suffered through a tepid July, the mediocre sales figures skewed somewhat by the inventory issues that Toyota and Honda are suffering in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster.

One company that is not feeling the economic pinch is Hyundai, who posted sales of 59,561 units in July, a 10 percent rise from the same period a year ago, and the seventh straight month that the Korean automakers have set a monthly sales record.

These are heady times for Hyundai, having just received 4 design awards from The German Design Council, not to mention the fact that their entry into the luxury car market, the Equus, just topped a recent APEAL study, beating out the Audi A8 and The Mercedes Benz S-Class.

The 10 percent sales jump may not seem like that much of a stride forward, but a closer look inside their overall figures reveals that it’s actually more of a leap than a stride.

For 2011, Hyundai sales are up 23 percent over last year, and up 36 per-cent at retail, but the most astonishing figure may be that 38 percent of all Hyundai car sold in the month of July hit fuel economy ratings of 40 MPG, a number that simply cannot be ignored given the current weak economy and high prices at the pump.

“U.S. consumer demand continues to be robust across the board for Hyundai, particularly with our imposing sedan line-up of 2012 Accent, Elantra and Sonata Hybrid all delivering on our 40 MPG promise. Hyundai Accent sales are up an astounding 75 percent in the first full month of deliveries and our new sub-compact is expected to become the top selling nameplate at retail in its segment for July,” said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America’s executive vice president of national sales.

It wasn’t only the extreme gas friendly models that saw large upwards trends, the Sonata and Santa Fe also posted percentage rises in the teens, and the Equus, bolstered by its slaying of the luxury car giants, took a 37% leap from the previous month, and set a new monthly sales record.

It would appear that US car buyers are not content to sit and wait until the Japanese auto industry get back on its feet again. Instead, they are looking for affordable options that offer quality, comfort, great gas mileage, as well as a nice looking design that they can feel cool driving in, and it seems that the Hyundai line-up has something that fits all those bills.