By Dawn Kent - The Birmingham News
Hyundai cars move along the assembly line at the automaker's Montgomery plant.
(The Birmingham News file/Beverly Taylor)
Hyundai said today that it sold 53,487 vehicles in the U.S. last month, an 8 percent improvement from a year ago and its highest total ever for November.
Buyers apparently were undeterred by the automaker's exaggerated mileage claims that came to light early last month.
The Hyundai Elantra compact, which is built at the company's Montgomery factory, was one of the models cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the overstated fuel economy ratings.
The Elantra, for which Hyundai had claimed a 40 mpg highway rating, is losing up to 2 mpg, depending on the model, as the company makes corrections.
The Elantra's November sales grew 28 percent to 15,923. Sales of the other Montgomery-made car, the Sonata sedan, increased 13 percent to 17,660.
Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales for Hyundai Motor America, said the Black Friday sales period provided a strong end-of-the-month boost for Hyundai's November sales.
"We were also very encouraged by the strong sales recovery experienced in those northeastern regions that were ravaged by Super Storm Sandy and expect continued momentum there for the balance of the year," he said in a prepared statement.
Hyundai's Montgomery plant added a third shift in September to help meet high demand for its state products, and officials said that move has improved availability of the Elantra.
So far this year, Hyundai's sales are up 8 percent over last year.
November is expected to be a big month for automakers' U.S. sales. Chrysler reported a 14 percent increase; other companies will issue their sales reports throughout the day.