Hyundai America March 2012 Breaks All-Time Monthly Sales Record

• Total sales up 13 percent, retail sales up 33 percent

• 41 percent achieve 40-mpg highway, a 67.5 percent jump over March 2011

COSTA MESA, CA - April 3, 2012: Hyundai Motor America, the most fuel efficient automaker in the U.S., today announced an all-time monthly sales record of 69,728 units, up 13 percent over last March, which held the previous record.  For the first quarter, Hyundai sales were up 15 percent over 2011.

"March was the best month in Hyundai's history and capped the best first quarter we've ever recorded," said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America's executive vice president of national sales. "Improving vehicle availability, particularly among our most fuel-efficient vehicles, Sonata, Elantra, Accent and Veloster, has fueled this record growth."

Overall retail sales through dealerships rose 33 percent over last March.  Sales of Accent, Sonata and Elantra saw sales increases y-o-y of 28 percent, six percent and eight percent, respectively.  Fleet mix remains low at 11 percent for the month.

"As Hyundai continues to offer more fuel-efficient vehicles, we are seeing more and more consumers in our showrooms, resulting in greater 40-mpg highway vehicle sales than ever before," said John Krafcik, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America.  "Our 40-mpg vehicle sales are up an astonishing 67.5 percent over last March."

Hyundai's RWD premium products, Genesis and Equus, saw an outstanding sales increase of 30 percent over March 2011 and are up 35 percent over February.  While sales in the CUV segment remained relatively flat, the launch of the all-new 2013 Santa Fe at the New York International Auto Show will bring increased interest and demand in Hyundai's CUV segment.

Hyundai achieved a corporate average fuel economy level of 37.7 MPG (28.4 MPG label value) in March, while selling 28,636 vehicles (41 percent of total sales) with 40 MPG window label highway fuel economy ratings.