Domestic sales down 26% on-year; overseas down 14%

Jan.–Sept. cumulative sales reach about 2.89 million units, down 7%

Grandeur tops domestic chart with about 8,900 units

The New Grandeur 2.5 Gasoline Calligraphy model on the road. [Hyundai Motor]
The New Grandeur 2.5 Gasoline Calligraphy model on the road. [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor's global sales fell 16 percent in September from a year earlier, as production disruptions caused by a union strike in August combined with a shorter selling month due to the Chuseok holiday to drag down both domestic and overseas figures. Pent-up demand from customers waiting for new models also weighed on sales.

Hyundai Motor disclosed Thursday that it sold a total of 307,998 vehicles worldwide in September — 49,022 units domestically and 258,976 units overseas — down 16.0 percent from the same month last year.

The domestic decline was steeper. Home-market sales of 49,022 units fell 25.7 percent year-on-year, while overseas sales of 258,976 units dropped 13.9 percent.

Compared with August, domestic sales surged 42.8 percent and overseas sales edged up 0.5 percent. The sharp month-on-month rebound in domestic sales largely reflects a base effect from August, when the union strike severely curtailed production and deliveries.

Cumulative sales for January through September reached 2,886,763 units, down 7.0 percent from the same period last year. Domestic cumulative sales fell 16.3 percent to 448,181 units, while overseas cumulative sales declined 5.1 percent to 2,438,582 units.

In the domestic market, the Grandeur led all models with 8,898 units sold. Sedan sales totaled 20,901 units, including 7,305 Avantes and 4,153 Sonatas.

In the recreational vehicle segment, 13,710 units were sold, with the Santa Fe accounting for 3,217, the Palisade 2,965 and the Kona 1,872.

In commercial vehicles, the Porter sold 3,420 units and the Staria 3,088, bringing total light commercial vehicle sales to 6,653 units. Medium and large buses and trucks combined for 2,016 units.

Genesis sold 5,742 vehicles. The G80 and GV70 each recorded 1,959 units, while the GV80 posted 1,261.

"September saw fewer business days due to the Chuseok holiday, and there was an impact from customers waiting for new models," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We will continue to introduce new vehicles with strong product appeal, such as the All-New Tucson, to drive sales expansion."


kwater@heraldcorp.com