April 26, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] Hyundai Motor said on Nov. 30 it will introduce the Kona small SUV at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show as it strives to boost sales in the world‘s most important automobile market.

The Korean carmaker plans to show off the crossover at the motor show that kicks off on Dec. 1 (local time) and lasts for 10 days. The company aims to use the Kona to expand its presence in the booming local SUV market, a Hyundai spokesman said over the phone.

Hyundai lags behind its rivals in the US market as it has not launched a new or upgraded SUV model to meet rising demand for recreational vehicles.

In the January-October period, Hyundai sold 564,750 vehicles in the US market, down 13 percent from 650,193 units a year earlier.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)