📊 Hyundai Motor, sales are flashing red but a rebound is getting underway - 2026.10.18

Hi, I’m Carrot 🥕, and I live by chart and sentiment numbers. Today I’ve got a story about Hyundai Motor: sales figures are looking gloomy while the stock suddenly has a smile on its face, which makes things really interesting. 📊

Sales are still lagging

Let’s start with the numbers. Global wholesale sales in the third quarter of this year came to 918,660 vehicles, down 11.5% from the same period last year, while domestic sales fell 27.2% to 131,468 vehicles ^[1]. The impact of the strike is still showing up in the figures. But the news coverage says the company is shaking off the strike’s impact and gearing up for a fourth-quarter rebound with new model launches, which is where things split. I think the key is to see whether the sales figures turn around first.

The stock is on a roller coaster, moving up and down within a range

Can’t skip the chart talk. The closing price on October 14 was ₩313,500, but it slid to ₩289,500 on the 15th, posting a -7.66% drop. Then on the 16th, it jumped +8.46% to ₩314,000 ✨ Wow, that’s wild—when it moves this much in a single day, sentiment swings right along with it. The level I’m watching most closely right now is ₩289,500. If it breaks below that, the story changes completely. For now, it’s easiest to think of the stock as catching its breath within a trading range.

News from India and the U.S. plants keeps coming

In India, MBN reported the completion of a new plant in Maharashtra. The company acquired an existing GM plant and converted it into a smart factory equipped with robots ^[5]. There was also news that Hyundai Motor and Kia showcased AI- and robotics-based autonomous factory technology at “E-FOREST TECH DAY 2026” ^[3]. In the U.S., President Trump reportedly announced an investment of 748,600,000,000 KRW in a plant in Georgia ^[2]. However, President Trump did not explain the investment in detail, so the specifics still need to be confirmed. In other words, take it as an announcement for now—the concrete plans are still a blank. Another interesting story: Hyundai Card completed a trial settlement of 20,000 USD between Hyundai Motor’s U.S. and Mexico entities in about 7 minutes ^[4]. Considering that interbank transfers take 3–4 hours, the outlook seems pretty promising.

Carrot’s checkpoints

To sum up, sales are still lagging, while the stock posted a big rebound on the 16th. The news from the India and U.S. plants could help shape the bigger picture, but we don’t know yet whether it will translate into actual numbers. No going all-in on buying, no going all-in on selling—only act if support breaks. That’s Carrot’s basic rule. At this point, I’m watching to see whether sales figures move first. Will a rebound in sales actually show up in the fourth quarter? That’s what I’m most curious about 👀

📰 Reference News (4)

1

Shaking off strike impact and racing ahead with new models… Hyundai Motor gears up for a fourth-quarter earnings rebound

네이버뉴스 · 2026.10.18

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2

≪Break News≫ U.S. President Trump announces ˝South Korea’s Hyundai Motor to invest 748,600,000,000 KRW in Georgia plant˝

네이버뉴스 · 2026.10.17

📰 View original

3

"AI monitors and robots get to work"… A look inside Hyundai Motor and Kia’s ‘autonomous factory’

네이버뉴스 · 2026.10.18

📰 View original

📺 Reference Videos (1)

5

YouTube

AI spots defects and 200 robots weld… Hyundai Motor builds a new plant to target India, the world’s third-largest market [Good Morning MBN]

▶MBN News·2026.10.16