Hyundai and Kia’s record US sales run is showing no signs of slowing down
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- Hyundai sold 82,480 vehicles in the US in July, up 4% year-over-year, marking its best-ever July, while Kia sold 75,867 vehicles, also a new July record.
- Hyundai's hybrid sales rose 35% versus July 2025, with the Sonata HEV, Elantra HEV, and Tucson HEV each setting new July sales records.
- Kia's hybrid sales surged 108% from the prior July, driven by record months for the Sportage hybrid, Carnival hybrid, and Sorento.
- Hyundai's IONIQ 5 — its top-selling EV — saw July sales fall 38% to 3,636 units, and is down 2% year-to-date at 34,366 units; the three-row IONIQ 9 also slid 35% to 700 units in July.
- Kia's EV6 sales are down roughly 34% year-to-date at 4,717 units, though the source notes its three-row electric SUV has sold 8,685 units this year, up about 30%.
- Kia is launching the EV3, a smaller, more affordable electric SUV expected to start around $35,000 later this year; the model is already among Europe's top-selling EVs.
- Eric Watson, Kia America's VP of sales, said the company is "poised to continue setting records throughout the second half," citing the new Seltos, redesigned Telluride, and incoming EV3.
Why it matters: Hybrid demand is doing the heavy lifting for both brands — Kia hybrids more than doubled year-over-year and Hyundai hybrids grew 35% — while their core EVs are losing momentum in a month when overall sales still hit records, underscoring how the path to record volumes runs through electrification's middle lane rather than its electric-only edge.
