Hyundai's U.S. Sales Drop 31 Pct In March On Virus Impact

Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday its vehicle sales plunged 31 percent in the United States last month from a year earlier, as the spread of the coronavirus began to affect production and sales

SEOUL, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Apr, 2020 ) :Hyundai Motor Group said Thursday its vehicle sales plunged 31 percent in the United States last month from a year earlier, as the spread of the coronavirus began to affect production and sales.

In March, Hyundai Motor Co., its independent brand Genesis, and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. sold a combined 81,500 vehicles in the U.S., down from 118,441 units a year ago, the companies' sales data showed.

"It goes without saying that the entire world is facing a tremendous challenge that is having a significant impact on business and our normal way of life. We know tough days are ahead, but we're doing all we can to position the company to survive this and return to the growth trajectory we've been on," Randy Parker, vice president in charge of national sales at Hyundai Motor America, said in a statement.

Hyundai and Genesis posted a 42 percent on-year drop in U.S. sales at 36,087 units last month, while Kia's sales fell 19 percent to 45,413 from 55,814 during the same period, the data showed.

Hyundai and Kia suspended most of their plants in the U.S., Europe, Russia and India last month, as local governments ordered manufacturing facilities to stop operations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

From January to March, their overall sales fell 5.4 percent to 272,775 units from 288,383 in the same period a year ago, according to the data.