Hyundai Motor Company recorded poor domestic sales in the first month of the new year. In particular, Sonata, which was called the national car, plummeted, and sales of Grandeur, a popular model, also dropped sharply in January. At least Tucson and Santa Fe saved face with the new car effect.

Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 1st that it sold 49,810 units in the domestic market last month. This is a 3.3% decrease compared to the same month last year. Compared to the previous month (62,172 units), it fell by 19.9%.

The decline in sales performance during this period was led by sedan models. A total of 8,573 passenger cars were sold, down 51.8% from the same month last month and 54.6% from the previous month. The Sonata fell below 500 units with 496 units in January, and the Grandeur, which had shown steady sales of nearly 10,000 units, only sold 3,635 units during the same period. The IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6 also recorded the lowest sales numbers ever at 39 and 4 units, respectively.

On the other hand, the new car effect continued for Tucson and Santa Fe. Tucson's sales volume increased significantly by 41.7% compared to the previous year and by 43.6% from the previous month. Santa Fe (8,016 units) also maintained an upward trend, exceeding the previous month's 7,682 units.

Luxury car brand Genesis also performed well. The G80 (3,494 units), GV70 (2,232 units), and GV80 (4,596 units) made a good start by achieving sales comparable to the electric Hyundai Volume model.

Hyundai Motor Company's overseas sales in January increased 2.8% from the previous year, selling 265,745 units. Combining domestic and overseas sales, sales increased by 1.8% compared to the same period last year.

A Hyundai Motor official said, “We will respond flexibly to regional market changes by strengthening the sales and production system appropriate for local demand and policies, while securing leadership in electrification and operating a business focused on profitability by launching competitive new vehicles and expanding the electric vehicle product line.” “We plan to move forward with it,” he said.