Hyundai, Kia ranked among UK's top five in monthly sales for first time

Yonhap — Hyundai Motor's compact electric vehicle Casper, in this photo provided by the automaker.

SEOUL, July 20 (AJP) - Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Corp. ranked among the top five in monthly auto sales in the U.K. for the first time last month, according to data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) on Sunday.

Hyundai sold 10,109 vehicles in June, up 9.9 percent from a year ago to rank fourth, while Kia trailed closely with 10,043 units, placing fifth. This marks the first time both Hyundai and Kia have simultaneously made it into the U.K.'s top five.

Hyundai's small sport utility vehicle Tucson and Kia's Sportage SUV led strong sales, with cumulative sales of 15,496 and 23,012 units, respectively, for the first half of this year.

Hyundai, in particular, has shown steady growth in sales, with 87,151 vehicles sold in 2023 and 91,808 in 2024. During the first six months of this year, its cumulative sales rose 5.1 percent on-year to 48,778 units.

If this sales trend continues, Hyundai is expected to reach a milestone of over 100,000 units in annual sales in the U.K. for the first time, with the upcoming launch of its all-electric, seven-seater Ioniq 9.

The automaker is also gaining sales momentum with other eco-friendly models like the Inster, known as the Casper here, which sold 1,127 units in its first month on the market since its launch there in May.

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com