Hyundai-Kia With Double Digit Growth In June And The First Half Of 2011

Bertel Schmitt
by Bertel Schmitt

Carmakers the world over are looking towards Korea where Hyundai reported sales results for June today. Hyundai’s global sales rose 12.3 percent to post a monthly record in June. Kia has not released official results yet, but Reuters says that “Kia’s June sales surged 22 percent.”

To bridge the time until Kia reports hard numbers for June, we did some spreadsheet acrobatics and arrived at the attached. The black numbers are hard reported numbers, the grey numbers are calculated. If Reuters’ 22 percent are correct, then the June table for Hyundai-Kia should look something like this:

June’11June’10ChangeYTD ’11YTD ’10Change


Hyundai352,255313,57912.3%


1,951,557


1,764,53510.6%


Kia217,637178,39122.0%1,205,648990,26121.8%Group569,892491,97015.8%3,157,2052,754,79614.6%

Having crossed the half year mark, we will get half year global results for all large automotive groups – including GM. We are expecting a big shake-up on the global rankings for 2011, and the June results will be a pretty good indicator for where the year should end up.

Hyundai said on Thursday it was to raise U.S. auto sales by 18.2 percent this year to 1.06 million vehicles, Reuters says.

Bertel Schmitt
Bertel Schmitt

Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.

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  • PrincipalDan PrincipalDan on Jul 01, 2011

    No real suprises here. I took a driving trip from Gallup, NM to Ottawa, OH (with a side trip to Frankenmuth, MI) this June and back again. After a few days on the interstate the thought that went through my head was... "Damn, Hyundai and Kia have sold quite a few cars in the last several years." If you can make inroads with a quality product, then you've got a chance to be profitable and sell your product for a sustainable price. I think GM, Ford, and Chrysler have finally learned that lesson. Now when I got to the tiny little rural corner of Ohio I grew up in, it was all GM, Ford, and Chrysler just as it was back in 1995 when I graduated high school. "Foreign" cars were still the outliers (although my Dad and I had an illuminating converstation about how he would consider ANY car that was actually assembled in a factory in the USA.)

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    • Bd2 Bd2 on Jul 01, 2011

      @Chiburb The no. of renatals for Kia and Hyundai have dropped quite a bit (esp. for Hyundai). For month of May, Hyundai's % of fleet sales was 7% (11% for the year); that's a significantly lower fleet percentage than what Toyota had for the Camry last year.

  • JMII JMII on Jul 01, 2011

    As I said in the post yesterday about Hyundai expanding with a new factory here in that states: my mother just bought a '11 Sonata Turbo, its the first "foreign" car they have purchased since a late 70s VW Rabbit. My parents previous rides have been: Chevy S10 Blazer, Ford Ranger, Chevy TrailBlazer, Saturn Coupe and then another Saturn Coupe. Mom loved her Saturns but since the brand folded she was SOL. The only other vehicle they considered strongly was a Nissan Altima, no more GMs for them. I told them to look at Ford Fusion, but Hyundai has the right product at the right price. My parents decision was based on excellent value (bang for you buck) with high MPGs and something Honda and Toyota lack right now: style!

  • Bd2 Bd2 on Jul 01, 2011

    Hyundai and Kia are doing quite well (tho I suspect their momentum to be slowed as they increasingly face capacity issues and as competitors launch new models), but don't quite understand the vitriol directed at the domestics. Ford is on quite the tear as well, having under a 30 day supply for the Focus, Fiesta and Explorer. GM's Lambda CUVs are still selling well and the Cruze is a hit; and according to the early reviews, the new Sonic should be a real contender in the subcompact segment. Even Chrysler's new products (the ones that got a real change) like the 300 and Jeep Grand Cherokee have been winning over the critics.

  • Steven Lang Steven Lang on Jul 01, 2011

    Back in 2008 I was recommending the Hyundai Sonata and Ford Fusion for folks who wanted a midsized sedan for less than the typical Camcord premium. http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009/01/review-2009-hyundai-sonata-gls/ I just don't see how they appeal to the enthusiast crowd. The Sonata and Elantra are pretty much the 13th version of vanilla in their respective segments.

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