Hyundai Motor Co (005380.KS: Quote, , Research, ) expects industry-wide U.S. auto sales to decline further in the fourth quarter as financial market turmoil adds to consumer uncertainty, its U.S. sales chief said on Tuesday.



David Zuchowski, vice president of Hyundai Motor's North American sales, said U.S. auto sales were tracking below 10 million units on an annualized basis for the first 10 days of September, and could end the month as low as 12 million units.



That compares to an annualized sales rate of 13.7 million units in August and 16.15 million in 2007.



'We believe the industry will soften over the last quarter,' Zuchowski said at the Reuters Autos Summit in Detroit. 'It's a bit of a perfect storm.'



Hyundai's outlook represents one of the most cautious views among major automakers on the near-term prospects for world's largest vehicle market.



U.S. auto sales have dropped about 11 percent through the end of August, slumping to 15-year lows in response to record gasoline prices, tighter credit and a housing market slump that has undercut consumer confidence.



But some automakers, including General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, , Research, ), have expressed guarded optimism that industry-wide sales might have hit bottom this summer, after August showed the first rise in sales over the previous month this year.



Zuchowski said he expected the U.S. market would remain almost flat at 14 million units next year after sales of 13.9 million units this year.