Hyundai Had a New Best Seller in Its Record October

The Santa Fe was Hyundai’s best-selling vehicle in America in October, edging out the Tucson by 151 units in a month when Hyundai Motor America set an October record of 73,452 sales. The Santa Fe jumped 52 percent to 17,959 while the Tucson, which had led the brand all summer, fell 23 percent to 17,808.

Hyundai’s total was up 5 percent from October 2025, and retail sales, which leave out fleet deliveries, rose 9 percent to an October record of 62,646. Hybrids set their own October record, rising 20 percent and making up 29 percent of everything Hyundai sold, and the Santa Fe and Palisade each posted their best October ever with their hybrid versions included. Through ten months Hyundai has sold 770,916 vehicles, up 3 percent, and its hybrid sales are up 50 percent for the year.

Hyundai released the figures on November 3. "We had our best October ever, and customers responded across our lineup," said Randy Parker, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor North America, who singled out the 9 percent retail gain and the 20 percent hybrid gain. "Whether shoppers want an SUV, a hybrid or an EV, we have something for them."

Model	Oct. 2026	Oct. 2025	Change	2026 YTD	2025 YTD	Change
Santa Fe	17,959	11,800	+52%	121,074	113,960	+6%
Tucson	17,808	23,036	-23%	199,495	188,275	+6%
Elantra	12,011	10,224	+17%	140,614	126,436	+11%
Palisade	10,840	9,549	+14%	109,522	102,331	+7%
Kona	6,029	4,969	+21%	58,977	62,247	-5%
Sonata	3,054	4,306	-29%	57,384	50,220	+14%
Venue	2,162	2,156	0%	26,469	25,884	+2%
Ioniq 5	1,981	1,642	+21%	33,093	42,733	-23%
Santa Cruz	1,439	1,719	-16%	16,250	22,352	-27%
Ioniq 9	169	317	-47%	6,690	4,494	+49%
Ioniq 6	0	398	-100%	1,348	9,530	-86%
Total	73,452	70,118	+5%	770,916	748,467	+3%

The Tucson’s slide is the biggest swing in the table. It sold 23,164 units in September, a 32 percent gain that made it the star of Hyundai’s record third quarter, so October’s total was more than 5,300 units lower a month later. The release does not explain the drop. The current Tucson is nearing the end of its run, since the all-new model Hyundai revealed in New York on October 1 is expected to reach North America in 2027, and the company is putting about $450 million into its Montgomery, Alabama plant to support future vehicles and new propulsion technology. The Tucson remains Hyundai’s best seller for the year by a wide margin, at 199,495.

The electric side was mixed. The Ioniq 5 rose 21 percent to 1,981 after falling 65 percent in September, though it is still down 23 percent for the year at 33,093. The Ioniq 9 fell 47 percent to 169, and the Ioniq 6 recorded no sales at all, down from 398 a year earlier and from three in September. The Sonata dropped 29 percent and the Santa Cruz 16 percent, while the Elantra rose 17 percent and the Kona 21 percent.

The American numbers stand out against the rest of the company. Hyundai Motor Company’s global October sales fell 6.3 percent to 329,773, with sales in Korea down 8.9 percent and overseas sales down 5.9 percent, and the company said it is counting on the new Tucson and the GV80 Hybrid to rebuild momentum. Kia, which reports separately, had an even bigger October in the US than Hyundai did.

The HyundaiHQ Take

A Santa Fe topping the Tucson is a small headline with a real meaning: the boxy midsize SUV with a hybrid option is finding buyers at a pace Hyundai has not seen from it, and it is doing it against a Toyota Highlander and Grand Highlander that are far more established. The Tucson drop looks like the early stage of a model changeover rather than a demand problem, but Hyundai needs the new one to arrive on time, because the old one carried this company’s 2026. The Ioniq 6 sitting at zero for a month is the clearest sign yet that Hyundai has stopped trying to sell the current car in America, and an Ioniq 9 at 169 units should worry the Georgia plant that builds it.