The nation's automotive landscape is suffering a deluge of poor sales, closing dealerships and layoffs. But not every car brand has been engulfed.

Subaru sold 12,194 cars last month, an 8 percent increase over the same period last year. Hyundai's sales rose 14.3 percent to 24,512 for the month.

And while Kia didn't post a sales increase in January, it did manage the feat of about breaking even -- a far better performance than brands such as GM, Ford, Honda and Toyota.

Analysts said the successful brands have so far avoided the worst of the economic hits by sticking to formulas that work: emphasizing value, producing new models at the right time and catering to niche customer groups that tend to be loyal.

Advertising during the Super Bowl helped Hyundai, but the car brand already had a couple of things going for it, said Jack Nerad, editorial director of Kelley Blue Book.

The brand, which once had a less-than-quality reputation, has been making its mark with products such as the new Genesis luxury sedan, which won the car of the year award at the recent North American International Auto Show.

That, plus ads offering to buy a car back if the purchaser loses his or her job, combines with a solid value proposition. "Lots of automotive commentators have plenty of warm and fuzzy good things to say about Hyundai right now," said Mr. Nerad.

The Genesis relies on a tried-and-true sales feat: Offer as many or more features as cars it is competing with, such as BMW, Acura and other luxury models. With a price that starts at around $32,250, it is priced more like a well-equipped Chrysler 300 or Pontiac G8.

The company is bringing its sexy Genesis Coupe to the market this spring.

Meanwhile, Jim Shorkey, owner of Shorkey Kia and Courtesy Suzuki Isuzu in North Huntingdon, has had the unusual problem of keeping up with demand.

In December, his dealership sold more Kias than any dealer in the Northeast zone in any month in the brand's history. And in January, the dealership beat December's record by 150 percent.

"We had 20 sales staff working Saturday, and we had to get 10 additional people around here to help out customers while they were waiting," Mr. Shorkey said. "A lot of people left because we couldn't get to them."

Kia reassures consumers with a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty and then adds features that consumers want, he said.

The introduction of prettier, livelier looking cars also has gotten some attention. For example, the Soul is a little car that is expected to compete with the Toyota Scion xB, Mini Cooper and the soon-to-be introduced Nissan Cube.

"Kia really speaks to that value market, and people are looking for additional value," Mr. Nerad said. "When consumers get around to comparing prices, they find that there's more value in Kias than in some of other brands out there."

Subaru's continued sales success is partly due to the way the brand caters to loyal customers.

"Subaru buyers generally feel that there's almost no substitute for a Subaru," said Mr. Nerad. "So the company does its own thing and churns along separate and apart from the norm."

One of the brand's key features is a strong factor in sales, too. Subaru cultivated a reputation for having all-wheel drive long before most other brands. As a result, consumers for whom that is a must often think of the brand first, Mr. Nerad said.

"All-wheel drive is a major issue with Subaru buyers, and Subaru has that across the board," he said. "Overall, a lot of Subaru buyers are very satisfied with the product, and so Subaru's owner loyalty rates are pretty strong."