May U.S. auto sales: Ford, Toyota rise; Honda surges; Hyundai, Kia gain

The Honda division said sales of electrified models set a monthly record of more than 32,000 units in May.

American Honda reported Honda ended May with 34,000 vehicles on the ground, up from 12,000 a year earlier, and Acura had about 21,000 vehicles in stock, up from 4,000 at the start of June 2022.

Hyundai deliveries jumped 18 percent to 70,001, with retail volume rising 8 percent to 64,070. The company said it delivered 5,931 vehicles to fleet customers, or 8.5 percent of total May sales.

Hyundai ended May with 47,671 light vehicles in U.S. inventory, down slightly from 49,045 at April’s close but more than double the 18,641 units in stock in May 2022.

Kia, still hampered by one of the industry’s lowest stockpiles, reported U.S. sales of 71,497, a jump of 23 percent and the company’s second-best month ever. Four of the brand’s core models — Soul, Seltos, Telluride and Carnival — posted big gains. Kia said its U.S. retail sales — a corporate priority — rose 21 percent to 65,197 last month, while keeping fleet deliveries around 8.5 percent of overall volume, or roughly 6,300 units in May.

“More than two out of every three Kia vehicles sold in the U.S. today is a utility vehicle,” said Eric Watson, vice president of  sales operations for Kia America. “In combination with our growing lineup of advanced electrified offerings, we have strong tailwinds to push our business forward for the remainder of the year.”

Subaru deliveries jumped 28 percent to 54,531 in May, the company’s tenth straight increase, behind three core models — Crosstrek, up 5.7 percent; Outback, up 17 percent and Forester, up 93 percent. 

Mazda’s sales advanced for the eighth consecutive month with May volume rising 117 percent to 33,262 vehicles.

Genesis set a May record with sales of 5,605, an increase of 27 percent, with the luxury brand’s two crossovers, the GV70 and GV80, and electrified variants of the G80 and GV70, driving most of the month’s gain. Genesis sales have now advanced seven consecutive months.

Volvo reported a 14 percent increase in May deliveries.

Most of the rest of the industry reports U.S. sales at the close of each quarter, though GlobalData said General Motors was the top seller for the 10th straight month in May.