Record September for Hyundai, but Only Three Ioniq 6s Sold

Hyundai Motor America sold a record 77,439 vehicles in September, up 9 percent, while its three Ioniq electric models each fell by 65 percent or more. The Ioniq 6 found exactly three buyers all month.

The third quarter was also a record at 246,896 sales, up 3 percent from a year ago, and the total for the year stands at 697,464, also up 3 percent. The gains came from gas and hybrid SUVs and sedans: the Palisade rose 52 percent in September, the Sonata 39 percent, the Tucson 32 percent and the Santa Fe 21 percent. Hybrids set a September record, up 39 percent, and made up 28 percent of everything Hyundai sold, with the Santa Fe Hybrid and Sonata Hybrid each posting their best September ever.

Hyundai released the figures on October 1. "Hyundai delivered record September sales and its strongest third quarter to date, supported by growth across our SUV, sedan and hybrid lineups," said Randy Parker, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America. The release does not mention the EV decline anywhere in its text, though the table tells the story.

The Ioniq 5 sold 2,928 in September against 8,408 a year earlier, a 65 percent drop, and it is down 53 percent for the quarter at 10,382. The Ioniq 9 fell 65 percent to 374 for the month, though it remains up 56 percent for the year at 6,521. The Ioniq 6 went from 814 sales in September 2025 to three, and its quarterly total of 107 is down 96 percent. Together the three EVs sold 3,305 vehicles in September, about 4 percent of Hyundai’s total, where a year earlier they sold 10,297, or roughly one in seven Hyundais.

Model	Sept 2026	Sept 2025	Change	Q3 2026	Q3 2025	Change
Tucson	23,164	17,569	+32%	64,075	51,929	+23%
Elantra	13,902	13,808	+1%	48,764	41,444	+18%
Santa Fe	12,227	10,114	+21%	39,112	37,082	+5%
Palisade	10,327	6,790	+52%	35,229	35,585	-1%
Sonata	5,156	3,722	+39%	17,273	12,928	+34%
Kona	4,574	4,078	+12%	16,779	17,450	-4%
Venue	3,164	2,836	+12%	8,682	8,265	+5%
Ioniq 5	2,928	8,408	-65%	10,382	21,999	-53%
Santa Cruz	1,620	1,788	-9%	4,830	6,412	-25%
Ioniq 9	374	1,075	-65%	1,663	3,164	-47%
Ioniq 6	3	814	-100%	107	2,810	-96%

Over the full quarter the Tucson led the way at 64,075, up 23 percent and a record for the quarter, while the Elantra rose 18 percent to 48,764 and the Sonata 34 percent to 17,273. Hybrid sales for the quarter rose 35 percent, the Sonata Hybrid more than doubled, and the Santa Fe Hybrid had its best quarter in the company’s history. The Santa Cruz was the weakest gas model, down 25 percent for the quarter at 4,830, and the Kona slipped 4 percent despite a September gain.

The Tucson’s run is about to get a US-built chapter. Hyundai said on October 28 that production of the all-new Tucson begins at its Montgomery, Alabama plant before the end of the year, alongside a new engine program for hybrids, so the model that carried the quarter will soon come from Alabama rather than Korea.

The HyundaiHQ Take

Hyundai’s hybrid-first bet is paying off in exactly the way Toyota’s did, and a Tucson quarter of 64,000 against the RAV4 is the kind of number that would have been laughed at five years ago. The EV column is the warning. An Ioniq 6 that sells three cars in a month is effectively off the market, the Ioniq 5 has lost two thirds of its volume in a year, and the Ioniq 9 is fading only months after launch, which means the Georgia Metaplant that was built for these cars needs the hybrid lines Hyundai is adding there more than ever. The press release celebrating the record without a word about the EVs tells you Hyundai knows it too.