Hyundai Motor Group overtakes Ford to rank third in U.S. market

Hyundai Motor Group has overtaken Ford to rank third in monthly U.S. auto sales for two consecutive months, helped by strong sales of its Tucson sport utility vehicle (SUV) and a localization strategy.

According to Hyundai Motor Co. on Wednesday, the Tucson, its flagship SUV, had sold 10.61 million units globally as of August since its 2004 launch, excluding China-specific models. It became the first Hyundai SUV and the third model in the group to surpass 10 million cumulative global sales, following the Avante and Accent.

The U.S. has become Tucson’s largest market, accounting for 2.23 million units, or about 20 percent of its global sales. Tucson has also ranked as Hyundai’s best-selling model globally by wholesale volume for five consecutive years through 2025.

Strong sales of Tucson and other key models have boosted Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp.’s share of the U.S. market.

Their combined share reached 12.1 percent in July, edging out Ford’s 12 percent, before rising to a record 12.9 percent in August. The gap with Ford widened to 1 percentage point in August.

General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. remained first and second in July, with market shares of 16.7 percent and 15.9 percent, respectively.

Hyundai Motor said its long-term success with Tucson reflects its strategy of building local production and sales bases in major markets, adding that local production capabilities will become increasingly important alongside pricing competitiveness as global automakers face intensifying competition.