- Hyundai reported a 1 percent sales increase in July 2020 compared with July 2019, but Toyota reported a 22 percent decline.
- Hyundai says that its inventory levels across the country are stable, which may have helped its performance.
- Most other automakers only report sales numbers on a quarterly basis. We will update this post as more monthly numbers become available.
U.S. auto sales may be looking up for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic shut down many dealerships this spring, if Hyundai’s strong July performance is any indicator. The Korean automaker reported a 1 percent sales increase compared with July 2019, its first increase since February. Toyota, however, posted a 22 percent decline compared with last July, showing that Hyundai’s sales gain may be an anomaly.
Hyundai: Up 1 Percent, SUVs Strong
In Hyundai’s case, the trend line is rising in a mostly linear fashion, as this slight increase comes after it reported a 43 percent decrease in March, a 39 percent decrease in April, a 13 percent decrease in May, and a 22 percent decrease in June. Hyundai says retail sales were up 4 percent and fleet sales (which represent 7 percent of the July total) were down 32 percent. Through the first quarter of 2020, Hyundai fared better than many other automakers, reporting an 18 percent decrease overall amidst many competitors’ numbers declining upwards of 25 percent.
Hyundai largely has its SUV lineup to thank for the strong July. The three-row Palisade SUV sold 8404 units, a huge increase from last year and enough to catapult it ahead of the Sonata mid-size sedan, which sold 6834 units. The Tucson (10,922 units) and Santa Fe (9296 units) were the brand’s top two sellers, though both decreased compared with last July.
Toyota/Lexus: Down 22 Percent, Hybrids Up
Toyota and Lexus posted a 22 percent decline in July. The Toyota brand’s numbers were down 21 percent, and the Supra sports car—which represented just 515 of the Toyota division’s 146,044 total sales—was the only model to post an increase compared with last year. Toyota did note that sales of hybrid models increased 15 percent.
Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, did not slide as far as its mainstream stablemate, with a 6 percent decline. Its small crossover models, the UX and NX, both posted sales increases.
We will update this post with more sales numbers as other automakers release their July sales reports. Kia, Mazda, and a few others are also expected to provide monthly numbers.
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Source: Motor - aranddriver.com
