Ioniq 6 named Hyundai’s best-selling car

Electric car sales fell 64% in September, and Hyundai’s overall sales fell 9%

Automakers are currently working hard to shift to electric vehicles, but the Hyundai Ioniq 6’s sales numbers are so bad that you’d think these sedans were stuck in dealerships.

Compared with September 2023, Ioniq 6 deliveries fell significantly by 64% in September and by 57% in the third quarter. Hyundai sold just 599 units last month, compared to 3,336 Ioniq 5 deliveries. Ioniq 5 deliveries fell 16% in September, which, to be fair, is down on most cars in the U.S. It’s been a bad month for manufacturers.

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Both EVs are still growing year over year, but the auto market has changed significantly since then, and the Ioniq 6 is expected to erase 9% gains by the end of the year. The facelifted 2026MY Ioniq 6 is currently in testing and will likely debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, but neither it nor the upcoming Ioniq 6 N will reach showrooms in time to make an impact this year.

It wasn’t just Hyundai’s electric cars that suffered in September. Sales of the hydrogen-powered Nexo fell from 16 units to 2 units, and sales of some ICE models also declined. Santa Fe is down 38%, Santa Cruz is down 30% and Kona is down 23%.

Hyundai Motor Sales in September 2024 and Q3 2024

Hoping to avoid total disaster in September when popular SUVs and crossovers underperformed, Hyundai came to the rescue with a handful of supposedly unpopular sedans. Elantra sales increased by 19%, and Sonata sales increased by 64%. Palisade did save some pride for the utility: Its sales edged up 9%.

But the good news was not enough to prevent Hyundai Motor’s model sales from falling 9% to 68,961 units in September. Sales were up at least 5% in the third quarter and year-to-date deliveries are up 2%, meaning Hyundai is doing better than sister brand Kia, which has seen overall sales decline 13%.

Hyundai Motor Year-to-date Sales