Hyundai Aims to Double U.S. Sales Growth

Hyundai Motor Co. hopes to increase its vehicle sales in the U.S. next year 10%, Reuters reports. It cites Y.J. Ahn, a director with the carmaker's America group in South Korea.

That rates compares with 2% growth half the pace Hyundai predicted in January and less than one-fifth the market's overall expansion so far this year.

If demand continues unchanged, Hyundai will sell about 717,000 units in the U.S. this year. That suggests the company's target for 2014 is about 789,000 vehicles.

Reuters attributes the company's disappointing growth this year to capacity constraints and an aging product lineup.

But Hyundai predicts a significant upturn in demand by mid-2014 when it debuts its redesigned Genesis large sedan. The next-generation Sonata midsize sedan is due later next year. Those two models account for 40% of the company's U.S. car sales this year, down from 46% in 2012, according to Autodata Corp.