Ahead of the planned launches, Hyundai and Kia unveiled the models at the New York Auto Show to generate interest in the world's most important automobile market.

The standard 2018 Sonata to be available in the US is equipped with a 2.0-liter gasoline engine and a six-speed automatic transmission. If powered by a 2.0-liter turbo gas mill, the car will be mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox, the statement said.

The upgraded Rio compact sedan, also known as the Pride in South Korea, comes with a thrifty 1.6-liter gasoline engine, it said.

As the two Korean carmakers have a competitive edge in the US small and midsize passenger car markets in terms of quality and prices, they are moving to launch new and refreshed models for a bigger share in the respective segments.

Hyundai sold a total of 775,005 vehicles in the US in 2016, accounting for a market share of 4.4 percent. It sold 761,710 units in the previous year to grab the same market share, according to company data.

Kia sold a combined 647,598 autos in the US market last year, up from 625,818 units a year earlier. Its US market share rose slightly to 3.7 percent from 3.6 percent during the cited period, the data showed.

Globally, the two sold about 7.9 million vehicles last year.

They together form the world's fifth-biggest carmaker by sales.

In New York, Hyundai also unveiled the GV80 fuel-cell concept SUV, the first SUV concept under its Genesis luxury brand, and 17 other vehicles such as the Sonata plug-in hybrid, the 1.6-liter Elantra (Avante) compact, the 1.4-liter Accent subcompact and the Santa Fe SUV.

Kia introduced the Rio compact sedan and 22 other models at the auto show. The company moreover showed off its Audi A4 challenger, the Stinger sports car, following its debut in international motor shows in Geneva, Detroit and Seoul over the past three months. (Yonhap)