The 40 mpg Veloster - an eccentric small coupe - is due later this year.
Call it luck or call it planning, but Hyundai’s emphasis on fuel economy and interior room is paying dividends. The Korean maker announced today that it had sold its 100,000 40 mpg vehicle this year as rated on the EPA highway cycle.
This follows U.S. sales of more than 59,000 cars and small trucks in June with more than 40% of the vehicles sold rated at 40 mpg – an all time Hyundai record. In the June 40 mpg club are the new owners of 23,431 Elantra sedan, Sonata Hybrid, and 2012 Accent models.
Hyundai said its corporate average fuel economy level was 35.9 mpg in June and 35.7 mpg for the year-to-date.
Total sales represent an all-time Hyundai record for both the month of June and the first half of the year, breaking highs set last year. This also marks the sixth consecutive month that Hyundai has set an all-time monthly sales record. Overall U.S. sales were up 7% in June compared to a year earlier, with Hyundai up 16%, outpacing anemic industry growth
“The best way to reduce America’s fuel consumption is to put more fuel-efficient vehicles in American driveways, right now,” said John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America’s president and CEO. “The best way to do that is to mass produce the most efficient technologies, like direct-injected engines and 6-speed transmissions, and deploy them as standard equipment, not expensive options.”
The U.S. made Elantra launched in December 2010 and is now 79% ahead of last year’s sales. Every 2011 Elantra sold achieves 40 mpg highway fuel economy with no special options or equipment required. Sonata Hybrid and Accent are also part of the 40 mpg strategy, and both are just starting to reach dealerships in volume. The 40 mpg Veloster – an eccentric small coupe – is due as 2012 model this fall.
