After setting monthly sales records in 11 of the past 12 months—including December—Hyundai has now set a new full-year benchmark for the second consecutive year: In 2011, the company sold 645,691 vehicles, representing a 20 percent increase over 2010. The company’s top sellers? The Hyundai Sonata and all-new Hyundai Elantra, which both set annual sales records of their own last year.
The Hyundai Sonata joined the big boys and entered the 200,000-unit club for the first time, lifting deliveries 14.9 percent to finish at 225,961 sales on the year—outselling the outgoing Chevy Malibu by about 21,000 units. As for the Elantra, Hyundai’s latest expression of fluidic sculpture, coupled with the ability to go 40 mpg on the highway, helped it earn 186,361 sales in 2011 (a 40.9 percent jump) as well as a place on the 2012 North American Car of the Year short list. The 2009 North American Car of the Year—the Hyundai Genesis—pitched in 32,998 sales that reflected both a 13 percent leap northward and, yes, another annual sales record.
Two other Hyundai products are also worth special mention: The automaker introduced the next-gen 2012 Hyundai Accent late last year, and while it wasn’t on sale nearly long enough to set any milestones, it did finish out 2011 with a healthy 90.9 percent improvement in sales in December; combined sales of the 2011 and 2012 model-year Accents totaled 55,601—a 7 percent bump. A second big debut from the prior year, the Hyundai Veloster “three-door coupe,” has cooled considerably, though. It launched to much hype for its striking design, but after selling 3,700 units in its first full month on the market in October, it dropped to 2,538 in November and 2,188 in December.
The rest of Hyundai’s 2011 sales winners:
• Hyundai Equus—3,193 sales in its first full year, a stake the automaker claims is good for “over 5 percent market share of the premium sedan segment with residual values and J.D. Power APEAL ratings unsurpassed by Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, or Audi.”
• Hyundai Tucson—Continuing its steady growth with a 19.3 percent improvement and 47,232 sales in 2011.
• Hyundai Veracruz—Forgotten by many but remembered by 9,146 customers in the U.S. last year, 4.6 percent more than in 2010.
And there were two losers in 2011 for the company, with the Hyundai Santa Fe, suffering a 3 percent sales slip and the Hyundai Azera enduring a 50 percent reduction in deliveries. The latter bottomed out at just 18 sales in December, perhaps representing a hiccup in the transition between the 2011 model and the much-upgraded 2012 iteration.
Finally, Hyundai takes great pride in its retail sales numbers, and that, of course, makes excellent sense when you consider that 90 percent of the automaker’s sales went to retail customers in 2011—in December, that figure was up to an amazing 97 percent. Hyundai’s retail sales were up 29 percent overall last year.
Looking ahead, Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of national sales for Hyundai Motor America, said: “We are encouraged by the present market fundamentals combined with consistent signals including brisk holiday selling that indicates a broader industry recovery. We finished 2011 with solid momentum and much improved inventory levels and are enthusiastic about our prospects for 2012 as we continue to launch a broad array of new product entries.”
