Hyundai Motor looks to raise U.S. sales by 10 percent in 2014: executive

SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor is internally looking to lift its U.S. vehicle sales by 10 percent next year, an executive said, underlining the South Korean company's high hopes for the revamped versions of the Genesis and the Sonata sedan. Hyundai unveiled a new version of its high-end Genesis sedan in South Korea on Tuesday, which will hit the U.S. market in the first half of next year, followed by the Sonata, Hyundai's second best-selling car in the United States. "Our goal is to sell many mid- and large-sized cars in advanced markets, and raise brand image and profitability," Y.J. Ahn, a director at Hyundai's America Group, said. Hyundai saw its U.S. sales rise only 2 percent from January to October, underperforming the market, due to rising competition, capacity constraints and its ageing Sonata sedans. Hyundai said in January that it aimed to raise U.S. sales by 4 percent to 734,000 vehicles this year. (Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)