Hyundai, Kia’s September US sales fall; hybrids buck trend of weak sales

South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. and its sister firm Kia Corp. saw their US sales decline last month due to fewer selling days and weak market demand caused by the hurricane that hit the country's southeastern part.Hyundai Motor Group said on Wednesday the combined US sales of Hyundai, its premium brand Genesis and Kia totaled 127,941 units in September, a 10.4% decrease from the same month a year earlier.The latest figure marks the automotive group’s first double-digit percentage decline in 26 months.In August, the Korean duo posted record US sales, driven by eco-friendly cars, including electric vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Hyundai and Kia attributed their weak September performance to the sluggish market demand caused by the hurricane and fewer selling days than last year.By company, Hyundai Motor America's sales fell 8.7% on-year to 69,028 units, while Kia America's sales decreased by 12.4% to 58,913 units. Genesis, Hyundai's luxury brand, saw a 1.6% decrease, selling 6,536 units.HYBRIDS LEAD HIGHER SALES OF ECO-FRIENDLY CARSDespite overall weak sales, eco-friendly vehicle sales increased, driven by the strong performance of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Hyundai Motor Group sold 26,151 eco-friendly vehicles in the US last month, a 1.8% increase from the same month a year earlier.Eco-friendly vehicles accounted for 20.4% of the group’s total sales in the US in September, keeping the ratio above 20% for the fifth consecutive month.By fuel type, hybrid vehicle sales rose 12% on-year to 17,565 units, while pure electric vehicle (EV) sales fell 14.2% to 8,584 units. Hyundai's eco-friendly vehicle sales fell 5.6% to 15,011 units, while Kia's eco-friendly vehicle sales rose 13.7% to 11,140 units, buoyed by the new EV9 large SUVs and the Sportage hybrid electric model (HEV).The share of Kia’s eco-friendly vehicles hit a year-to-date high of 18.9% in September. JAPANESE AUTOMAKERS ALSO POST WEAK SALESThe Hyundai Tucson was the best-selling model with 16,083 vehicles last month, followed by the Elantra, known in Korea as the Avante, which sold 11,186 units, and the Palisade with 8,202 units.For Kia, the Sportage SUV was the best-selling model with 11,163 units, followed by the Telluride (8,699 units) and the K3 (7,400 units)Leading Japanese automakers also posted weak sales in the US market last month. Toyota Motor Corp.'s sales plummeted 20.3% year-on-year, while Honda Motor Co.'s sales fell 8.6%. By contrast, Subaru Corp. eked out a 0.1% sales increase. Mazda Motor Corp. posted a decent 6.5% sales increase in September.By Jae-Fu Kimhu@hankyung.comIn-Soo Nam edited this article.