Korea's Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group and Nissan Motor of Japan are competing fiercely in a bid to overtake Honda as the second-best selling Asian carmaker in the U.S.

According to USA Today on Saturday, Toyota's record level of recalls have helped Nissan gain ground to eventually challenge Honda for the No. 2 spot.

But Hyundai-Kia is also in contention for second place. Hyundai Motor has been capturing momentum thanks to its low prices, and when sales of Kia Motor are included, the group could pull ahead of Nissan.

Auto industry analysts say Hyundai and Kia's combined sales are expected to bring the Korean carmaker's market share in the U.S. to 8 percent this year, surpassing Nissan's projected share of 7.8 percent.