Japan's Four Major Automakers Saw 6% Increase in U.S. Sales in May, Rising Gas Prices Boosted Hybrid Vehicle Sales

The China Automobile Dealers Association released the latest "Automobile Consumption Index": the Automobile Consumption Index in May 2026 was 81, a slight increase MoM, and the automobile market is expected to maintain a relatively stable operating trend in June. According to the association's analysis, the automobile market in June exhibited a structural divergence pattern characterized by "cooling demand, declining foot traffic, and strengthening transactions." The fading of holiday dividends and the impact of high temperatures led to pullbacks in both new demand and offline foot traffic, and overall market momentum slowed down compared to the concentrated surge in May. However, dealers are expected to ramp up mid-year sales promotions, and the concentrated conversion of previously accumulated intent orders will continue to drive up end-user transactions.

Volvo Cars announced that global sales from March to May 2026 totaled 178,980 units, down 5.5% YoY. Among them, BEV model sales reached 41,435 units, up 10% YoY.

Beijing Hyundai disclosed its May sales data. In May, Beijing Hyundai's domestic sales reached 17,065 units, achieving positive growth both YoY and MoM. Export sales were up 99.4% MoM and up 67.1% YoY. Among them, three core car models — the all-new Elantra, the 11th-generation Sonata, and the all-new Tucson L — doubled their domestic sales MoM. Meanwhile, the all-new pure electric brand IONIQ and its first car model IONIQ V (Venus), unveiled during the Beijing auto show, officially launched the brand's "fuel + pure electric" dual-track transformation.