Hyundai Continues US Growth in September

Hyundai continues to perform well in the United States, in spite of the collapsing market following the closure of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS). Hyundai Motor America posted a 27 percent increase last month compared to September 2008, with sales of 31,511 units. September is the ninth consecutive month in which Hyundai posts an increase in retail market share and the company leads all automotive brands in market share growth this year, as it said in a release.

"While consumer demand following the Cash-for-Clunkers program softened during the month of September, we are encouraged with our continued growth in retail share and overall sales through the first nine months of the year," said Dave Zuchowski, vice president of sales. "With our solid product and marketing plans going into the fourth quarter, in addition to the upcoming launch of the all-new Tucson and Sonata, we are cautiously optimistic during these challenging times."

The best-selling model in September is Hyundai Sonata with 7,898 units sold during the month, followed by Elantra with 7,513 units and Santa Fe with 7,010 units. Accent comes next with 4,864 units, according to official figures.

Genesis continued its strong increase trend with sales of 1,665 units. The fuel-efficient Elantra posted a boost of 104 percent versus 2008, Hyundai said in the release, while the Santa Fe delivered a significant sales gain of 50 percent leading up to the introduction of the even more fuel-efficient face lifted 2010 model.

Hyundai is performing well in Europe as well, with the South Korean manufacturer planning to expand production of small displacement models following growing demand in European scrappage schemes.