- Ioniq 6 sales collapse 61% in January, while Ioniq 5 only dipped slightly.
- Hyundai SUVs and hybrids deliver strong gains, carry sales performance.
- Overall, Hyundai sales rise 2% despite sharp drop for electric sedan.
Hyundai just posted its best January ever in the US, but if you zoom in on the EV corner of the showroom, you’ll probably find salesmen consoling one particular electric model. Because while one Ioniq barely flinched in the face of EV market turmoil, the other faceplanted. Hard, really hard.
Let’s start with the good-ish news. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 slipped just 6 percent year over year in January, which in today’s EV market basically counts as holding steady while everyone else is struggling to keep the fire alive. Hyundai moved 2,126 of them, proving the retro-futuristic crossover still has plenty of fans.
Related: Gas Or EV? Hyundai N Embraces Both With Two New Models For America
Now for the ouch. The Ioniq 6 didn’t just dip, it fell off a statistical cliff, plunging 61 percent to just 344 units. That’s the kind of number that makes accountants quietly close the spreadsheet and go for a walk. Stylish and slippery though it is, the sedan is clearly having a much tougher time finding buyers.
SUVs Equals Sales Success
If Hyundai needs a reminder of what Americans really want, it only has to glance at the SUV side of the ledger. The combustion Palisade surged 29 percent off the back of a refresh, while the Santa Fe climbed 9 percent.
Even the smaller Kona jumped 22 percent. Big, practical, and family-friendly continues to beat low and sleek in the real world.
Hybrids are the real heroes here, though. Hyundai says petrol-electric sales shot up 60 percent, showing buyers still love the idea of electrification, just maybe not one that doesn’t come with a plan B. Models like the Santa Fe Hybrid are clearly hitting the sweet spot between fuel savings and banishing charging anxiety.
Combustion Losers
Not everything else was sunshine, though. The Sonata slid 34 percent, the dies-soon Santa Cruz dropped 32 percent, and Tucson eased back 4 percent. Still, with total Hyundai sales up 2 percent and SUVs making up the bulk of the action, the brand has a solid cushion.
We’ll be following the action closely to see if Hyundai can keep the good news flowing through 2026 – and what action it takes to turn the Ioniq 6’s dismal performance around.
Hyundai USA sales
SWIPE
Â
