Domestic sales fall 19.7% on-year to 100,101 units

Chuseok holiday cuts working and business days

Overseas sales reach 546,401 units, down 1.3%

Hyundai Motor's Grandeur leads with 8,898 units sold

Hyundai Motor's flagship sedan, the All-New Grandeur [Hyundai Motor]
Hyundai Motor's flagship sedan, the All-New Grandeur [Hyundai Motor]

South Korea's five major automakers sold a combined 646,502 vehicles in global markets in September, down 4.7 percent from the same month a year earlier.

According to September sales figures released Thursday, domestic sales fell 19.7 percent on-year to 100,101 units across all five companies, as the Chuseok holiday reduced the number of working and business days during the month.

Overseas sales, including semi-knockdown kits, came to 546,401 units, down 1.3 percent over the same period.

Breaking down results by company, Hyundai Motor sold a total of 307,998 vehicles globally — 49,022 domestically and 258,976 overseas — a 16.0 percent drop from the same month last year. "September saw fewer business days due to the Chuseok holiday, and there was also the effect of customers waiting for new models," a Hyundai Motor official said. "We will continue to introduce new vehicles with strong product appeal, including the All-New Tucson, to drive sales growth."

Kia sold 281,984 vehicles worldwide — 45,705 domestically, 235,457 overseas and 822 special-purpose vehicles — up 5.1 percent from a year earlier. For the third quarter of this year, Kia sold a total of 846,764 units, comprising 140,522 domestic, 703,494 overseas and 2,748 special-purpose vehicles, marking its highest third-quarter sales since 1962.

"Through sales strategies tailored to differentiated electric vehicle demand by region overseas, we achieved sustained strong performance and set a new third-quarter record," a Kia official said. "In the fourth quarter, we will continue to build sales momentum centered on electrified vehicles — hybrids in the United States and electric vehicles in Europe."

General Motors Korea sold 41,101 units last month — 727 domestically and 40,374 overseas. While domestic sales fell more than 40 percent, a surge in exports of the Trax Crossover and Trailblazer pushed total sales up more than 70 percent on-year. "We plan to improve our products and plant facilities and strengthen our domestic production base as a global hub for compact SUVs," a GM Korea official said.

KGM sold 8,863 units, down 2.0 percent on-year, including 2,100 for the domestic market and 6,763 for export. "To expand global sales, we plan to strengthen our push into emerging markets through knockdown kit operations and other initiatives, while also boosting domestic competitiveness through a range of financial and purchase incentives," a KGM official said.

Renault Korea sold a total of 6,556 units — 2,289 domestically and 4,267 for export — down 24.7 percent from the same period a year earlier.

By model, Hyundai Motor's flagship sedan, the Grandeur, topped the domestic sales chart last month with 8,898 units sold. It was followed by Hyundai Motor's compact sedan, the Avante, in second place with 7,305 units, and Kia's midsize SUV, the Sorento, in third with 6,957 units.

In cumulative domestic sales from January through September this year, the Kia Sorento led all models with 74,933 units sold.


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