Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp. said Saturday their combined sales in the United States fell 3.7 percent in the first quarter compared with a year ago due to the prolonged pandemic and chip shortages.

The corporate duo sold a total of 322,593 vehicles in the US in the first three months of this year, according to the companies' sales data.

In March alone, the two automakers sold a combined 123,507 units, a 14.8 percent decline from a year earlier.

Hyundai's US sales in the first quarter slipped 2.3 percent on-year to 171,399 units.

In contrast to the sluggish overall performances, Genesis, Hyundai's independent luxury division, saw its sales in the world's most important auto market soar 42.6 percent to 11,723 units over the period.

Hyundai's sales of eco-friendly cars, including electric vehicles (EV), fuel cell electric vehicles and hybrid models, nearly doubled to 25,790 units in the first three months of the year.

Its sister company Kia said it sold 151,194 units in the US in the first quarter, down 5.2 percent from a year earlier.

The US sales of Kia's eco-friendly models jumped 238.7 percent on-year to 18,549 units on the back of robust demand for its new EV models, it said. (Yonhap)