2011 Hyundai Sonata sales to reach 18.000 units again
2011 Hyundai Sonata sales to increase by more than 50 percent in April!
Hyundai is expected to release its April 2010 US sales numbers at the beginning of next week, but early estimates from the automaker reveal that Sonata will once again top the company’s sales chart as Hyundai’s best-selling vehicle in the US market.
According to Michael Deitz, the product planner at Hyundai Motor America, 2011 Sonata sales are very likely to equal the sales performance from a month earlier (March 2010) when 18.935 new Sonatas were delivered to customers across the USA. According to the company, Sonata’s April sales are expected to jump by 50 percent compared to a year ago, when 11.815 units had been sold.
Miles Johnson, a spokesman for Hyundai Motor America, said that Sonata sedan remains to be in a very high demand so majority of Hyundai dealers continue to request more vehicles than the plant is able to supply.
Hyundai’s US plant, which currently builds new Sonata and Santa Fe SUV is operating at full capacity. During the last 29 days, daily production has averaged at about 1.200 vehicles, with the Sonata making up about 70 percent of the production.
Hyundai Motor America recently held a media event where it revealed some more information on new Sonata and other models such a new Tucson and Equus luxury sedan. Hyundai dealers visiting the media event recently also got a sneak peek at the forth-coming 2011 Hyundai Elantra compact sedan, which made its official premiere just yesterday at the auto show in Busan (South Korea).
Hyundai also revealed some details regarding the upcoming Tiburon replacement and next-generation Santa Fe crossover, but that info remains confidential and will not be available to wider public for quite some time.
April 30th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
No surprise here…the new sonata is just daym!!!! too bad it will be a while till info on the new santa fe will be released…i wanna see how it will look with fluidic sculpture applied to it.
April 30th, 2010 at 7:11 pm
A little off topic…but what if hyundai brings back the entourage and re does it with the fluidic sculpture theme…the way their cars have been shaping up lately, i think it would be quite the looker…probably better than the new sienna…just a thought though…
April 30th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
A sexy minivan? this is possible?
April 30th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Hyundai’s continued Sonata sales of 18k per month of at this level means that Hyundai will have cracked the all important top 5 midsize sales category.
The sales momentum for Sonata will be remarkable if it carries over into the next quarter, establishing a trend. If these sales figures continue as projected, I predict a total unit output of more than 140k units by years end. Don’t forget this number hardly includes the upcoming 2.0 turbo or Hybrid which will push them closer to 180k in fourth quarter of 2010.
I know this is early, but based on anticipated number of unit sold, Hyundai is already penciling in 2011 Sonata sales to reach closer to a whopping 210k units.
My only concern is whether their Alabama plant can produce enough Sonatas to match the growing demand for this vehicle. If sales rise even slightly higher, like say closer to 20k unit sales per month, they may have a problem.
This is no joke because when I recently toured their Alabama plant, I was told that the maximum daily production was 1,200 units per day, rotating two-shifts, but that does not include just the Sonata, since at the moment, this plant produces two separate lines (Sonata and Santa Fe). Of which, 70 percent are comprised of Sonatas.
If you include the remaining months left in production, deduct the percentage of Sonatas being produced from Alabama that equates to roughly an annual output of 160k units, barely enough to keep up with demand if sales should trigger over 20k units per month. A good problem to have mind you, but it will still be a supply problem that Hyundai must undoubtedly have some planning for.
Hyundai is getting closer to hitting beyond their capacity, the paradigm for Hyundai in the U.S. has shifted in a mega way!
May 1st, 2010 at 11:18 am
Then it’s time for Hyundai to set up a new factory specifically for the Sonata line and possibly also the Tucson. I’m sure they’re discussing this in Korea right now in the corporate boards. Nice to see they’re approaching growth cautiously.
May 1st, 2010 at 11:21 am
But farkkk…I want…that…Sonata…>.<
May 1st, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Hyundai should build another plant in the US, which would build only Sonata models, while the current one would produce new Elantra and Tucson/Santa Fe.
May 2nd, 2010 at 12:46 am
Go to the Montgomery Advertiser dot com site and append /apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20104290319 for a good story on how YF buyers are younger and wealthier than of previous generations; 64% are conquest sales.
May 2nd, 2010 at 3:43 am
@Derrick G
Great article. Just read it now.
May 3rd, 2010 at 10:36 am
the plant is not operating at full capacity…. they just need an additional team working at night. Such an organization would allow them to produce an extra 500 cars a day. What is more, Hyundai will probably produce cars in the new Kia plant, the way they do in Europe. With 2 plants and a capacity overpassing half a million cars, I don’t think they will add any new plant in the US. If they sell 0,8 M cars in the US, they will import 0,3 M cars from Korea. That’s a good proportion actually.