Mazda and Kia See Rise in Sales for August

Mazda North American Operations, the Irvine-based importer and distributor of Mazda cars, has certainly discovered the importance of California in the auto world. The company hit big a few years ago with the Miata roadster, designed at its studio in Irvine. Then Mazda saw sales stagger and die as it followed up with cars whose designs were dictated largely by officials in Japan. Now, a new generation of Miata, a little more muscular with more refined handling, is in the showrooms and traffic again is hopping.

For August, Mazda sold 30,761 cars in the U.S., the company’s best month in three years and a hefty 37% increase over sales in August, 1997. For the first eight months, Mazda sales are up 7.7% to 177,351 units.

South Korean importer Kia Motors America Inc., also in Irvine, was the only other Orange County-based auto importer to post an August sales gain--up 26.8% to 8,016 cars and sport utility vehicles. Kia, which has been adding dealerships and new territories as it pushes to sell cars in the 48 contiguous states by the end of the year, has seen sales in the first eight months rise 83% to 58,632 cars and trucks.

The other South Korean importer, Hyundai Motor America Inc., in Fountain Valley, saw August sales slide 14% to 9,826 cars from 11,920 a year earlier. For the year to date, Hyundai sales were off 7.6% to 64,079 units.

At Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc., sales dropped 9.6% in August to 18,160 cars and sport utility vehicles. Sales for the first eight months were down 1% to 130,215 units.

The county’s smallest car importer, American Suzuki Motors Inc. in Brea, sold 2,435 cars and sport utilities in August, down 16.8% from the same month last year. The company, which has been having a great year, blamed the August slump on low inventories as dealers prepare for the 1999 models. Suzuki’s U.S. sales for the year remained 28.4% ahead of its performance for the first eight months last year, with 25,733 units sold.