Hyundai “just had its best sales month ever in the U.S.,” reports Electrek
Hyundai’s impressive EV lineup is charging up demand, with its best-selling Hyundai IONIQ 5 SUV also setting a new U.S. record after sales more than doubled in November. With 76,008 vehicles sold in November, Hyundai’s record-breaking U.S. sales streak is not slowing down. Hyundai Motor America CEO Randy Parker credited the growing demand for EVs and hybrid vehicles to the growth.
Hyundai’s EV sales rose 77% from last year, while hybrid sales surged 104%. Electrified retail sales (EV, PHEV, and hybrid models) climbed 92% in total last month. Several vehicles, including the Santa Fe HEV, Tucson PHEV, Tucson HEV, and IONIQ 5, had their best-ever sales month.
The article also notes increasing sales for Hyundai’s electric SUV, the IONIQ 5. Starting at $43,975 — and recently upgraded to a range of 245 miles (or 318 miles for the $46,550 extended-range model) — it features an NACS port for accessing Tesla’s Supercharger network.
I’m not a sales person but I I just ranked the aspects as per my personal preferences. For me, efficiency was the #1 selling point. Not only does it keep the costs low and is good for the environment, it also massively increases the range compared to other EVs with the same battery size.
The only other EV that I know which has a similar efficiency is the model 3. But the Tesla had several significant downsides from my perspective. I had two phantom breaking incidents in just 100 km of a test drive, so I never felt safe after that. It has no physical buttons at all, not even for the turn indicators or to change gears. The media system is good but also very locked down. If I prefer a streaming service that is not (or no longer) supported by Tesla, I have no chance other than maybe Bluetooth. Same with navigation apps. No Apple Carplay, no Android Auto. And last but not least, the Tesla CEO is one of the last persons I’d like to support on earth.