Seoul, Jan 12 (IANS): Accumulative sales of eco-friendly vehicles produced by Hyundai Motor and Kia, South Korea's leading automakers, are expected to exceed 1 million units in the first quarter, the companies said on Friday.

Accumulative sales of eco-friendly units of Hyundai and Kia combined had amounted to 946,962 units as of the end of 2023. They are expected to surpass the 1 million mark in the January-March period, Hyundai and Kia officials said.

Last year, the companies sold 278,122 eco-friendly cars, including electric vehicles and hybrids, combined in the United States, representing a 52.3 percent sales growth from 2022, reports Yonhap news agency.

According to company officials, Hyundai and Kia's combined market share of eco-friendly vehicles in the U.S. stayed above the 20 percent mark for three consecutive years since 2021.

Hyundai and Kia also said they aim to strengthen sales of premium car models, such as Hyundai's independent luxury brand Genesis, as well as recreational vehicle models.

Accumulative sales of Genesis models, in particular, in the U.S. are likely to surpass the 300,000 unit mark in the third quarter, company officials said.