Hyundai Sonata most-shopped vehicle in January

(February 28, 2011) FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — Hyundai Sonata, the game-changing midsize sedan with its emotional ‘Fluidic Sculpture’ design and all four-cylinder engine lineup, was the most-shopped vehicle in January according to data from Compete, a company that provides insights for automotive marketers.

Sonata, a mid-sized sedan,  has been on more shopping lists than any other vehicle in the industry in seven of the last nine months, continuing to top perennial leaders like Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Honda Civic and Ford Fusion, according to Compete’s analysis of consumer automotive shopping behavior.

Led by Sonata, Hyundai demand continued its momentum with more than 268,000 in market shoppers in January, representing a 21 percent increase from December 2010. The all-new compact 2011 Elantra was the second most shopped Hyundai model achieving a six-month high in demand and a 39 percent increase from December. Industry wide, January shopper volume (2.8 million) increased 11 percent compared to January 2010, demonstrating the continued recovery in automotive shopping interest.

“Sonata’s ability to attract and engage consumers over the past nine months has been impressive and they have successfully converted many of these shoppers into actual buyers with Sonata sales up 150 percent in January," said Dennis Bulgarelli, director of Automotive at Compete.