Hyundai Sonata Popular Amid Declining Sales

Sales of Hyundai's mid-size sedan Sonata in the U.S. last month rose around 19 percent compared to October.

Hyundai in a press release Wednesday said its improved sales record was mostly due to strong sales of its newly-modified LF Sontata which was rolled out in the U.S. in May and sold some 18,515 units in November alone.

The sales were helped by stellar reviews by U.S. media and market researchers. USA Today compared 10 mid-sized sedans, including the Volkswagen Passat and Toyota Camry, and ranked the LF Sonata top.

Auto industry website Edmunds.com said it has probably the best safety features in its class.

However, overall sales of Hyundai and affiliate Kia in the U.S. were down around three percent on year to 98,608 vehicles.

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Hyundai, Kia See Sales Pick Up in Europe

Hyundai and affiliate Kia have improved their performance in Europe in October.

For Hyundai, the i10 subcompact and ix35 SUV drove strong sales in addition to the newly released i20 compact.

It saw 10 percent growth from the previous month with 36,378 cars sold, and its market share rose from 3.2 percent to 3.3 percent.

Affiliate Kia sold 30,181 cars, up 4.3 percent compared to September.

But overall, sales figures for the two carmakers have been mixed this year. Hyundai sold 320,000 cars in the first nine months of this year, down 0.3 percent from a year earlier, while Kia saw its sales rise 5 percent with 270,000 units sold.

Hyundai's market share dropped from 3.5 percent to 3.3 percent, and Kia's share fell from 2.8 percent to 2.7 percent over the nine-month period.

A total of 1.11 million cars were sold in Europe last month, up 6.2 percent compared to last year, according to data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association last week.

For the entire January-October period, car sales in Europe rose 5.9 percent on-year to 11.02 million units.

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Hyundai to Sell Over 100,000 Sonatas This Year

Sales of the mid-sized Hyundai Sonata are expected to surpass 100,000 units here this year for the first time in two years.

Hyundai on Tuesday said combined sales of the latest LF Sonata, the previous YF Sonata and Sonata hybrid models totaled 88,485 units in the first 10 months of this year and will probably exceed 100,000 by the end of this year.

That would propel the Sonata to its former glory as the best-selling car in the country. The last time a passenger car surpassed the 100,000 mark was in 2012, when 111,290 Avante compacts and 103,994 Sonatas were sold.

The Sonata hit the milestone from 2005 to 2012.

Sales of the LF Sonata, which hit showrooms in March, exceeded 10,000 units a month from April to June but then plunged to less than 6,000 in August. But the taxi version of the LF Sonata managed to stem the decline in September.

Also, Hyundai slashed the prices of YF Sonatas and Sonata hybrid models to reduce inventory. Sales of the two models from January to October totaled around 32,600 units.

A Hyundai spokesman said the automaker will roll out a new hybrid version at the end of this year, followed by turbo and diesel versions, as well as plug-in models next year.

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Hyundai to Release More Fuel-Efficient Hybrid Next Month

Hyundai Motor will release a hybrid version of its mid-sized sedan LF Sonata next month.

The sedan boasts fuel efficiency of up to 18.2 km per liter, the automaker claimed on Tuesday.

"Fuel efficiencies can be different depending on the dimensions of the tire, ranging between 17.7 km and 18.2 km per liter," a Hyundai spokesman said.

But it is up to 8.3 percent more fuel efficient than the previous hybrid version of the YF Sonata, which has a fuel efficiency of 16.8 km per liter.

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Hyundai Glovis Takes over Polish Logistics Company

Hyundai Glovis, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor, took over Polish logistics company Adampol SA, the company said on Wendesday.

Adampol, which transports about 400,000 cars a year of major global automakers such as BMW, GM, Toyota and Volkswagen across Europe, posted sales of 100 million euros last year.

Hyundai Glovis said that it plans to build new logistics warehouses in Belgium, Britain and the Czech Republic with the aim to double business volume.

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Hyundai Genesis Tops in Residual Value in U.S.

Hyundai's new Genesis sedan was named as the car having the highest residual value in the U.S., the carmaker said on Tuesday.

According to the Automotive Lease Guide which evaluates vehicle values based on various criteria, including segment competition, vehicle performance and industry trends, Genesis was evaluated to have the highest residual value in the premium segment of the U.S. auto market.

Meanwhile, in a joint survey by MotorWeek and USA Today, Hyundai's new Sonata sedan ranked first among mid-sized sedans that cost less than US$27,000.

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Hyundai to Release More Fuel-Efficient Hybrid Next Month

Hyundai Motor will release a hybrid version of its mid-sized sedan LF Sonata next month.

The sedan boasts fuel efficiency of up to 18.2 km per liter, the automaker claimed on Tuesday.

"Fuel efficiencies can be different depending on the dimensions of the tire, ranging between 17.7 km and 18.2 km per liter," a Hyundai spokesman said.

But it is up to 8.3 percent more fuel efficient than the previous hybrid version of the YF Sonata, which has a fuel efficiency of 16.8 km per liter.

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Hyundai Glovis Takes over Polish Logistics Company

Hyundai Glovis, an affiliate of Hyundai Motor, took over Polish logistics company Adampol SA, the company said on Wendesday.

Adampol, which transports about 400,000 cars a year of major global automakers such as BMW, GM, Toyota and Volkswagen across Europe, posted sales of 100 million euros last year.

Hyundai Glovis said that it plans to build new logistics warehouses in Belgium, Britain and the Czech Republic with the aim to double business volume.

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Hyundai Chairwoman Wants to Resume N.Korea Tours

Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun returned from a one-day trip to North Korea on Tuesday evening.

Hyun was there to mark the 16th anniversary of now-suspended package tours to Mt. Kumgang.

On return she told reporters here that Hyundai will do everything it can to resume the joint venture, whose six-year suspension caused her company about W1 trillion (US$1=W1,100) in losses.

The tours were stopped in 2008 after a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier.

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