The combined vehicle sales of Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's top carmaker, and its affiliate Kia Corp. in the United States surpassed 1.5 million units this year, according to industry data on Sunday.

Hyundai and Kia sold 788,403 and 722,176 units, respectively, over the January-November period, the data showed.

Hyundai's figures include sales of its independent Genesis brand, which also hit an annual record of 62,372 units.

The combined figure marks the highest yearly sales since Hyundai entered the US market in 1986. The previous high was the 1.49 million posted in 2021.

Meanwhile, the South Korean carmakers swept the final nominations for the 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year Awards, nailing down in advance one of them will be announced as the winner next month.

Hyundai's Kona and Kona EV, Kia's EV9 and the Genesis Electrified GV70 have been named the finalists of the utility category of the awards.

Hyundai also put its all-electric Ioniq 6 sedan on the final list of nominees for the 2024 North American Car of the Year Awards.

The car was also named the 2023 World Car of the Year at the New York International Auto Show in April. (Yonhap)