500,000th Hyundai Sold in the US

South Korean manufacturer Hyundai is on a roll in most of the markets it sells its vehicles in, and in the US, one of its most important, the carmaker is now celebrating an important achievement. The Koreans sold their 500,000th vehicle this week, being for the first time the manufacturer posting such high sales in the country.

Having achieved this milestone, Hyundai is now targeting 530,000 units sold by the end of the year. The good growth registered so far for the existing models leaves room for hope that this new target is within reach.

"Hyundai's sales continue to climb as more consumers become aware of our great products, high quality, the industry's best warranty, and improving dealership experience," said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president, National Sales, Hyundai Motor America.

"We expect our sales momentum to continue as we head into the New Year with models like the new Elantra, the first of four planned 40-mpg Hyundai vehicles in our lineup, and our premium luxury sedan, Equus, just now starting to roll into showrooms. Our future looks bright, largely due to our product renaissance."

The best-selling models in the Hyundai lineup are the Sonata, with 183,102 units sold, the Elantra, 120,924 of which were sold and the Santa Fe that sold 72,082 vehicles.

In the hopes the good sales numbers will continue to be at the same levels, Hyundai announced its commitment to be the first automaker in the Unites States to achieve a corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) rating of at least 50 mpg by 2025.