Source: NewsWire
Hyundai Canada announced December sales of 7,914 units, a 14.4% increase over the same month last year. This marks the fifth consecutive month of record sales for Hyundai Canada, consistently outperforming the Canadian market.
Overall in 2019, Hyundai sold 133,207 total units, which is up 4.2% from 2018. Notably, Hyundai reclaimed its position as the third-largest automobile import brand in Canada. In a declining market, the brand was able to capture an additional 0.6% of total market share, bringing it up to 7.0% from 6.4% in 2018.
In addition, Kona remains the clear leader in its segment, capturing 20% market share in 2019. Kona outsold the second place Kicks by nearly 700 units in December. Tucson saw a significant increase of 44% and outperformed its segment in the month of December.
There was unprecedented consumer demand for the brand's eco models with Hyundai's electric vehicle sales more than tripling in 2019, for a total of 5,005 units, due in large part to the success of the new Kona electric. The Kona and Kona electric were both named and awarded the 2019 North American Utility of the Year by the North American Car, Utility, and Truck of the Year Awards.
The effective launch of the new Palisade and Venue SUVs also contributed significantly to Hyundai's successful 2019, as well as sustained demand for the Tucson and Santa Fe. SUV sales hit record numbers in 2019 with 78,980 units sold, up from 67,171 units in 2018.
Equally impressive was Genesis, Hyundai's luxury brand, which set its third consecutive record-breaking performance, increasing YTD sales by 5.8% versus the previous year, while European luxury makes declined by more than -6%.
This year, Hyundai Canada reached many milestones and accomplished notable achievements such as being named one of the 2019 Best Workplaces(TM) in Canada by Great Place to Work. Furthermore, Hyundai received the Gold Award for brand building from the Canadian Marketing Association in 2019.
"This past year was a turning point for the brand. The automotive market is contracting, yet Hyundai's retail sales were up significantly resulting in record market share gains," noted Don Romano, President and CEO, Hyundai Auto Canada. "We were honoured to have our performance recognized by our parent company, Hyundai Motor Corporation, with the Platinum Award for Excellence for 2019, an award bestowed on the top-performing country globally."
Many stand-out accomplishments have led to a successful year for the brand and will lead to increased momentum in the new year.