Hyundai Motor and Kia are doing well in the world's largest market, the US

Genesis GV80, driven by the ‘Tiger Woods effect’, saw a big increase in sales. Hyundai Motor Group is accelerating its future mobility strategy based on its success in the US. The reshuffling at the end of last year was known to focus on how to secure a bigger portion in the global market.

Despite the sluggish global automotive market triggered by the COVID19, still haunting into three years, Hyundai is turning the crisis into an opportunity by recording outstanding performance. The disruption in the supply of automotive semiconductors, caused by the coronavirus, did not keep the Korean giant from fortifying its presence more eminent in the US last year.
Leaving Honda behind Hyundai in the US
In 2021, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis ,all three brands combined, sold 1,489,118 units in the US market, up 21.6% from a year earlier. This is increase in volume by nearly 60,000 from the previous annual-high of 1,422,603 units, marked in 2016.

Such sales figure is meaningful as it is a great breakthrough to the Korean auto giant, who for the first time in history, outsold Honda, 5th place in the US. sales. During the same period, Honda sold 1,466,300 units in the United States, a surge of 8.9% compared to the previous year, but resulted in less sales than Hyundai·Kia.

Hyundai Motor Group, also surpassed Honda's sales (73,949) with big gap in January this year. Hyundai Motor Group sold 93,998 units in the US in the first month of 2022, up 3.1 percent, from a year ago.

Hyundai(including Genesis) sold 51,510 units, an increase of 11.5% from the previous year, setting a record-high January figure, on a monthly statistics . During the same period, Kia sold 42,488 units, a decrease of 5.5%, but Niro EV set a new sales record, registering the largest volume of electric vehicles, on a monthly basis, in January.

Hyundai and Kia's strides during January of 2022 were led by eco-friendly cars and SUVs. Hyundai/Kia sold a total of 10,791 eco-friendly cars, including 28 hydrogen electric vehicles, 2,103 electric vehicles, and 8, 660 hybrid vehicles. This is a jump of 220.1% compared to the previous year.

For SUVs, Hyundai delivered ▲13,085 Tucson ▲7354 Santa Fe ▲6334 Palisade units. Kia is followed by ▲Telluride with 6790 units ▲Sorento with 6145 units and ▲Sportage with 5993 units.
Considering the fact that the average sales of global automakers saw a decline of 7% in January , largely due to the acute lack of semiconductors, it is no doubt that the Korean giant fared well.

Hyundai reorganized overseas units by reducing the number of business sectors to become world’s top makerThis year, new overseas network embarked to achieve the sustained growth in global sales.

Previously, Hyundai had the nine regional units that was broken into areas such as North America, Latin America, Europe, China, India, Russia, Africa-Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Korea. On December 27, 2021, Hyundai announced the reorganization by which 9 regions are reduced to 6 regions by regrouping some sales areas.

In line with this decision, three greater regions are created; ▲North America + Latin America -> Greater Americas ▲Europe + Russia -> Greater European Russia ▲India-Middle East -> Greater India-Middle East.

José Muñoz, the chief operating officer will be in charge of the Americas. Moreover, trailer business in the US and Mexico are now under his management.

Hyundai appointed Europe President Michael Cole as the chief post of the European market to oversee Europe-Russia region. Executive Vice President Oh Ik-gyun, who was promoted to the head of the Russian regional headquarters in last year's reshuffle, is expected to support President Michael Cole, based on his experience in overseas sales.

Executive Vice President Kim Eon-soo is responsible for the India - Middle East region. Executive Vice President Kim Seon-seop, who previously served as the head of the Greater-India, was promoted to vice president and was appointed as the head of the global business division.

Such reorganization in the global units is interpreted as a strategy to increase efficiency in each respective region. It is likely that such regrouping will enhance the output of each region by granting more authority to each regional units.

Although Kia maintains the nine regional units, as it stands, there is a high possibility the Hyundai’s sibling will follow suit, as it always did in the past.

The industry believes that this change at Hyundai reflects the will strong determination of Mr. Chung eui son? the Chairman of the Korean giant , to push to become the world’s top 3 auto maker. Given faster changing paradigm in the global motor market, rapid response management system is more required than ever before.