Hyundai, Kia get 2nd largest clicks on U.S. car site

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's leading automakers Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp. received the second highest number of clicks on a U.S. Internet site that gauges U.S. consumer interest for car manufacturers and vehicles, the companies said Monday.
The two sister companies received a combined 17.9 percent of all clicks on the Edmunds.com Consumer Vehicle Consideration list in June, after Ford Motor Co.'s 18.2 percent. Hyundai's click percentage came to 11.1 percent with Kia's reaching 6.8 percent.
The combined figure for Hyundai and Kia was ahead of Toyota Motor Co.'s 17.8 percent. General Motors Co. (GM) of the U.S. followed with 17.7 percent, trailed by Honda Motor Co. with 15.4 percent.
"The strong number reflects current market interest in cars with good fuel economy as the price of fuel has gone up in the United States," a spokesperson for Hyundai said. "The timely release of cars meeting such demands probably contributed to favorable consumer interest."
The Web site checks the percentage of visitors who view specific vehicle specification related to prices, photos and expert reviews that can be interpreted as a "consideration of intent" to purchase a car down the road.
The number of people examining data on Hyundai and Kia has gone up sharply in recent months, reflecting the popularity of such cars as the Sonata, the K5 and the Elantra, according to the site.
In June 2010, the click numbers for Hyundai and Kia stood at just 13.2 percent, fifth after GM, Toyota, Ford and Honda. The ranking went up to third place behind Ford and GM this May when numbers reached 17.7 percent.
Reflecting the high degree of interest, sales of the two Korean automakers soared 33 percent on-year to 107,426 units in May, with their market share reaching a record 10.1 percent. In June, sales dipped slightly to 104,253 units for a market share of 9.9 percent.
yonngong@yna.co.kr