Hyundai tops Asian rivals in U.S.

Source: Theprovince.com

Hyundai Motor Co. led Asia-based automakers' U.S. sales gains in June as waning consumer confidence cooled demand for new cars and trucks.

Sales at Hyundai, South Korea's largest automaker, jumped 35 per cent from a year earlier and set a record for the month, the company's U.S. unit said yesterday. Other increases included 6.8 per cent for Toyota Motor Corp., the world's biggest automaker, 6.2 per cent for Honda Motor Co. and 11 per cent for Nissan Motor Co.

"June was somewhat of a disappointment," Al Castignetti, Nissan's U.S. vice president and general manager of its namesake brand, said in an interview. "Toward the end of the month we weren't seeing the consumer traffic we'd been expecting."

The monthly results followed data on manufacturing, jobless claims and home sales that fuelled concern the economic recovery is faltering. The Conference Board this week said its confidence index slumped to 52.9 in June from a revised 62.7 in May.

Auto sales rose 14 per cent last month from a year earlier, after gains of 19 per cent in May and 20 per cent in April. Sales at the two largest U.S. carmakers, General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., increased 11 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.

Hyundai sold 51,205 cars and light trucks, compared with 37,943 in June 2009, the company said in a statement. The revamped Sonata sedan, released early this year, again led the gains, climbing 49 per cent.

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