Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group chairman Chung Mong-koo has personally thanked American dealers for helping boost sales in the United States last year.

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“I told the dealers we need to try to sell more,” the 70 year old CEO told the Korea Times after a breakfast meeting with the US retailers.


“They said there will be more demand for cars with higher fuel efficiency as oil prices keep surging.”


The conglomerate’s latest model, the Genesis luxury sedan, is receiving favourable responses before its US launch in June, Chung told the paper.


The report noted that Hyundai-Kia, Korea’s top automaker, sold boosted US sales 3% to 750,000 units last year, ranking it seventh among car sellers there.

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US sales increased 1.9% last month from the previous year to 42,796, for record high March sales, the paper added. Market share also reached 3.15%, up 0.43 percentage points. Its first quarter sales, however, were down 8.5% to 95,338 vehicles.


Despite the overall slump, the company has a positive outlook for the US market, the Korea Times said.


“High oil prices are hindering the entire business and the US market has shrunk for fourth straight months. We were one of the few players to post an increase last month,” Hyundai Motor America president told the paper, adding: “We will survive the current circumstances by building solid ties with our US dealers.”


US auto media last December reported that Hyundai would miss its 2007 sales target for vehicles from its new ‘greenfield’ US assembly plant in rural Alabama, built to make the Sonata sedan, and which recently added the Santa Fe SUV to its production lines.