Hyundai Motor intends to launch a pickup and a new SUV in the United States as part of a plan to adapt to the disaffection of US motorists for sedan models, said a senior official of the South Korean automaker.

Michael J. O'Brien, vice president of product planning for the group's US subsidiary, said Hyundai had given a green light to the development of a pickup - called the Santa Cruz - presented by US executives from the manufacturer in 2015.

Hyundai, the world's number five in the sector taking into account the sales of its subsidiary Kia Motors, does not sell pickups at this stage in the US market. Close sources said that the commercialization of the vehicle should occur by 2020.

These sources also said that Hyundai would launch three SUVs by 2020, either new models or updated versions of existing cars. Michael J. O'Brien said the group was going to market this year a small SUV in the United States, the Kona.

SUVs (sports utility vehicles), 4x4 cars built on chassis similar to those used for sedans, now account for 30% of new cars sold in the United States.

In China, the world's biggest car market, there is a similar shift from sedans to SUV.
Hyundai US dealers have been pleading for a group investment in SUVs and pickups, noting the erosion of demand for sedans such as Sonata and Elantra, models that have long been the hallmark of the United States.

In the first seven months of the year, Hyundai declined by almost 11% of its sales in the US market, which itself is down 2.9% over the period.

Deliveries of the Sonata have plunged by 30% over the seven months to July against an 11% increase in SUV models of the group.

At the end of July, Hyundai reported lower results for the 14th consecutive quarter, penalized by lower sales in China, its largest market, and in the United States despite higher discounts and promotions. (Paul Lienert and Hyunjoo Jin, Benoit Van Overstraeten for the French service)
 

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