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Episode · Wednesday, September 2, 2026 · 4:29

Hyundai's Worst Month in Four Years

Hyundai just posted its worst month in four years, and the reason is a Korean labor strike that cut home production by more than forty percent. That lands the same week the broader OEM sales split shows Honda, Kia and Subaru gaining ground while Toyota, Hyundai and Mazda slip, and hybrids keep climbing, per Automotive News and CBT News. This episode also covers a CDK study on why newer dealership hires walk, a fresh training push from Reynolds and RockED aimed at exactly that problem, three more retail tech updates from Auto Remarketing and Digital Dealer quietly changing what your CRM costs, and a near-final fuel economy rollback that changes how incentive dollars get set on EV and hybrid units. For Hyundai and Genesis stores, the allocation question isn't theoretical anymore.

In this episode

Questions from this episode

Why did Hyundai post its worst sales month in four years?

Hyundai's global deliveries fell 14% year over year in August, the company's weakest month in four years, driven largely by Korean labor strikes that cut home market production by 41%.

How did the broader OEM sales split look alongside Hyundai's decline?

Honda, Kia and Subaru gained ground while Toyota, Hyundai and Mazda slipped, and hybrids kept climbing.

What does the Korean production drop mean for Hyundai and Genesis dealers?

A production gap like this usually shows up as thin ground stock four to eight weeks out, so Hyundai and Genesis dealers should check allocation timing on Korea-built lines now, since Genesis shares plants and supply chains with Hyundai in Korea.

What did the CDK study find about dealership staff turnover?

The CDK study found that overall staff satisfaction at dealerships is high, but newer employees are the most likely to leave.

What is the status of the fuel economy standards rollback?

The Trump administration is close to finalizing a major rollback of fuel economy standards, the CAFE rule that has been moving since a December proposal covering model years 2022 through 2031, and if it lands, the pressure on OEMs to push EV and hybrid mix to hit efficiency targets eases.

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