There’s no doubt about it: The freshly redesigned 2011 Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima surely turn heads. The two Korean models both participate in a strong segment dominated by the Camry and Accord, but few midsize models come in coupe form. Could hypothetical Optima and Sonata coupes give the respective brands a leg up while competing against two-door versions of the Accord, Altima, and Sebring?

Thanks to HK-0910 for today’s TOTD!

Cash for clunkers made August a hard month to post a year-over-year sales gain for many automakers. Hyundai and Kia were no exception, the former dropping 11 percent over August 2009 and the latter losing 19 percent. While Hyundai and Kia were both down year-over-year for the month of August, partially due to their success during the government’s Cash for Clunkers program, both automakers remain in the positive for the year, with year-to-date sales up 17 percent for Hyundai and 9.7 percent for Kia.

At Hyundai, the big winners were its most recent, or recently designed, entries. Sales of the midsize Sonata nearly doubled, from 11,815 to 21,399, placing it closer behind entries like the bestselling Camry. Similarly, the Tucson sport-utility vehicle saw a double-digit percentage increase, and is performing over 100 percent better, calendar-year-to-date. The Accent, Santa Fe, and Elantra didn’t fare as well as they did under Cash for Clunkers; the Accent barely managed one-third of its August 2009 sales, the Santa Fe dropped by half, and sales of the Elantra dropped by about one-third.

Hyundai is preparing for the launch of the Equus sedan, which should bolster its luxury-car offerings. The Genesis is selling better year-over-year than when it was introduced for 2009.

Earlier this year, Kia introduced a new Sorento crossover, which has led the South Korean automaker’s sales ever since. Kia moved a total of 9040 Sorentos in August, accounting for 28 percent of the brand’s total sales. Kia’s next best-selling car was the Soul, which was introduced for the 2010 model year, with 7021 sales. Nipping at the Soul’s heels were the Forte sedan and coupe with a total of 6260 vehicles moved. Kia’s Sportage SUV followed with 3422 sales. In an indication of what Kia’s future sales might hold, its four latest vehicles’ sales accounted for almost 77 percent of its total August volume, although they make up less than half the lineup.

“Our design-led evolution is delivering new vehicles that have elevated the brand with world-class styling and the latest in technology and convenience features and transformed the Kia retail showrooms,” said Kia Motors America’s vice president of sales Tom Loveless.

Sales of the Optima reflect the car’s age, as well as anticipation surrounding the 2011 model due out shortly; sales dropped a whopping 77 percent over August of last year. Kia’s small Rio suffered a similar fate with a drop of 70 percent. Kia’s Rondo mini-minivan was the last big loser in its lineup, with sales of only 94 units compared to 1259 last year, further leading to speculation that the vehicle could be phased out for the next model year.

Kia’s remaining models, the Borrego, and Sedona, posted a sales gain as a whole, as the increase in Sedona sales covered the Borrego and the no-longer-for-sale Amanti’s losses. Kia moved 2199 Sedona minivans in August compared to 1346 last August. Remaining sales of Amanti sedans dropped to 17 units from 81 a year prior, and Borrego sales dropped to 600 from 992.

Source: Hyundai, Kia