Considering the severe economic challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, Hyundai Motor America must be particularly pleased with its retail sales figures for the month of June. Although the 50,135 Hyundais sold in the US represents a drop in total sales of 22 percent relative to June last year, retail sales increased by six percent year-on-year for a total of 48,935 units.

Fleet sales were down by a massive 93 percent, although these represented just two percent of the total. Tellingly, SUVs made up 69 percent of the retail sales total last month, with the Palisade achieving records for overall and monthly sales, with 8,169 units sold in June.

Overall, Hyundai's SUV retail sales increased by 34 percent in June, including a 14 percent jump for the Sante Fe and a 1 percent increase for the smaller Kona. The impressive sales figures have been bolstered by Hyundai's earlier move to ensure that its dealers had sufficient inventory.

In May 2020, for instance, the Hyundai Tucson sold nearly as many units amid the pandemic than it did in May of last year. In June, the SUV moved 10,216 units to make it the top performer in the brand's lineup.

Randy Parker is the vice president of National Sales for Hyundai America and was understandably upbeat about the latest sales results.

"Thanks to our dealers' quick action to meet an uptick in customer demand, Hyundai enjoyed a second straight month of increased retail sales," he said. He went on to point out that the brand saw the highest retail market share gains and anticipates that it will continue outperforming the market.

So, even though Hyundai sold 141,722 units in Q2 (a 24 percent decline compared to Q2 2019), strong retail sales have boosted the brand's confidence as the recovery from lockdown continues. And, with a range-topping version of the Palisade on the way and the updated 2021 Hyundai Sante Fe boasting much bolder styling, we expect Hyundai's tally of SUV sales to keep rising.