Hyundai-Kia snapped a 17-month streak of U.S. sales declines with a 5.9 percent advance in May light-vehicle deliveries.
Hyundai Motor America's U.S. sales rose 10 percent in May behind the automaker's highest monthly tally of crossover sales ever.
It is the third month in a row that Hyundai posted a monthly record for crossover sales. The brand moved 28,777 crossovers last month.
Sales of the new Kona subcompact crossover reached 5,079, a 53 percent jump from the previous month.
On the car side, the Elantra had a strong month. Hyundai said this week that it is investing $388 million to expand engine production in Alabama for the Elantra and Sonata sedans.
At Kia, U.S. sales rose slightly, with the Forte sedan and Sorento midsize crossover leading the way.
Brands: Hyundai up 12%; Kia up 1.6%; Genesis down 39%
Notable nameplates: Elantra up 27%; Sante Fe up 9%; Forte up 1.6%; Sorento down 0.4%; Tucson up 23%; G80 down 38%; G90 down 41%
Incentives: Hyundai down 15% per unit to $2,751; Kia up 12% to $3,766
Average transaction price: Hyundai down 1.7% to $22,223; Kia down 0.1% to $22,580
Quote: "Hyundai SUV sales represented 44 percent of May's total, a good indication that our expanding SUV lineup is putting our mix more in line with customer demand," said John Angevine, director, national sales, for Hyundai Motor America, in a statement. "Kona is also off to a great retail start and Elantra's 27 percent gain on the month led Hyundai sedans that are gaining market share."
Did you know? Tucson had its best month ever with 12,991, its 15th consecutive monthly record.