Hyundai Sales up for September 2011 but Accent, Sonata Down

Hyundai had sales of 52,051 vehicles in September, a 12 percent total sales increase compared with the same period a year ago, and a 16 percent retail sales increase over last September. There should be come concern, though, because some popular sellers actually saw numbers dip below September 2010.

The most surprising Hyundai on that list may be the all-new 2011 Hyundai Accent that went on sale in June. It sold 4525 vehicles in September, which is down 7.3% from the 4885 Accents sold in September 2010. Total calendar year sales, though, are up at 40,770 for 2011 vs. 39,767 for 2010.

Accent sales may be getting taken by Elantra sales. The Elantra is a more comfortable, roomier compact that does not cost significantly more than the Accent. Lower fuel prices have also hurt some sub-compact sales, too.

Another surprising drop comes from the 2011 Hyundai Sonata that was introduced in 2010. Its sales were 18,181 for September 2011, which is down from 20,639 in September 2010 for a decline of 11.9%. It could be an early indication of market cooling towards the Sonata, which year-to-date has sold 174,761 vehicles, up 25,638 vehicles from calendar year 2010 at this point for a healthy 17.1 increase.

“Finishing September with such strong momentum is no small feat, especially considering the disappointing economic climate,” said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America’s executive vice president of national sales. “Consumer demand remained strong, vehicle availability improved, and we’ve added yet another entry to our family of standard 40 MPG fuel economy vehicles with the all-new Veloster.”

Year to date, Hyundai sales are up 20 percent versus 2010 in total, and up 31 percent at retail. Sales to fleet accounts represent 11 percent of the total sales year-to-date and just 10 percent for the month of September. Thirty-seven percent of Hyundai vehicles sold in September achieved 40 MPG fuel economy ratings.

Santa Fe and Tucson, the heart of Hyundai’s crossover line-up, registered sales increases of 67 and 36 percent, respectively. Equus, the highest-ranking premium luxury car in the 2011 J.D. Power and Associates APEAL study, delivered another strong month and has already exceeded its first full-year sales target.

“The Veloster, our new 40-MPG 3-door sport coupe, hit dealerships in mid-September and American car buyers weren’t far behind,” said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America’s president and CEO. “We’ve delivered 838 Velosters to 838 happy owners in less than two weeks, with very strong demand from all parts of the country, and from all types of buyers.”

As pointed out previously on TorqueNews, the Hyundai Veloster is not a true 40-mpg coupe. That highway mileage is only obtained in the six-speed manual version (and it's not a very good manual to boot). The Veloster six-speed automatic, which is bound to be the Veloster of choice for most American consumers, is rated at 38 mpg highway and 29-mpg city.

Here are the sales results as released by Hyundai today for September 2011. A plus next to a vehicle name indicates a sales increase; a negative sign indicates a decrease; and, NV means new vehicle so there is no comparison to September 2010.

CARLINE / SEPT/2011 / SEPT/2010 / CY/2011 / CY/2010
(-) ACCENT: 4,525 / 4,885 / 40,770 / 39,767
(-) SONATA: 18,181 / 20,639 / 174,761 / 149,123
(+) ELANTRA: 14,386 / 10,062 / 147,922 / 101,022
(+) SANTA FE: 6,213 / 3,719 / 57,981 / 60,829
(-) AZERA: 79 / 299 / 1,407 / 2,439
(+) TUCSON: 3,724 / 2,730 / 34,896 / 29,460
(NV) VELOSTER: 834 / 0 / 834 / 0
(-) VERACRUZ: 817 / 992 / 6,836 / 6,088
(-) GENESIS: 3,000 / 3,230 / 25,224 / 21,319
(NV) EQUUS: 292 / 0 / 2,283 / 0
TOTAL: 52,051 / 46,556 / 492,914 / 410,047