Combined sales by Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation in the European Union (EU) fell by 7.5% to 82,840 units in October, according to data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) - the region’s main industry association.

Hyundai Motor’s sales fell by almost 4% to 41,594 units last month while Kia’s sales were down by 11% at 41,246 units. The two automakers underperformed the overall EU market, with the association reporting a 1% rise in regional passenger vehicle sales to 866,397 units.

Hyundai-Kia’s combined sales in the EU fell by almost 4% to 904,879 units year-to-date (YTD), compared with a 1% rise in overall passenger vehicle sales to 8.9 million units.

Hyundai and Kia performed much better in the US market in October, however. Hyundai reported an 18% year-on-year rise in US sales to 71,802 units, driven by strong demand for the Sonata and Elantra sedans, its Tucson SUV and the Ioniq 5 battery electric vehicle (BEV). This brought its cumulative ten-month total to 682,296 units, up 4% year-on-year.

Kia’s sales rose by over 16% to 68,908 units last month, driven by strong demand for SUVs such as the Sportage, Sorento and Telluride and the introduction of the K4 and EV9 models earlier this year. Its YTD total was still down by just under 2% at 653,078 units, however.