Last month, the overall sales volume of the five domestic automobile manufacturers showed a decrease compared to the same month last year. This is due to a reduction in the number of business days during the Lunar New Year holiday, leading to decreased production for the domestic market and exports.
According to the complete automobile industry on the 3rd, the combined sales volume of Hyundai Motors, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Korea, and KG Mobility last month was recorded at 593,385 units. This figure represents a 3.9% decrease compared to 617,646 units sold during the same period last year.
Hyundai Motors sold 310,399 units globally, a decrease of 2.3% compared to the same month last year. Domestic sales recorded a decrease of 7.5% at 46,054 units, while overseas sales decreased by 1.4% to 264,345 units.
In the domestic market, sedans sold 14,806 units, including 5,711 units of the Grandeur, 3,620 units of the Sonata, and 5,463 units of the Avante. Recreational vehicles (RVs) sold a total of 14,836 units, including 4,819 units of the Santa Fe, 3,636 units of the Tucson, 2,141 units of the Kona, and 926 units of the Casper. Commercial vehicles sold 3,335 units of the Porter, 2,484 units of the Staria, and 1,762 units of medium and large buses and trucks. The luxury brand Genesis sold a total of 8,824 units, including 2,730 units of the G80, 2,692 units of the GV80, and 2,739 units of the GV70.
Kia's total sales volume in the global market decreased by 2.4% compared to the same period last year, totaling 239,571 units. In terms of models, the Sportage ranked first in sales with 43,473 units, followed by the Seltos with 22,198 units and the Sorento with 21,421 units.
In the domestic market, 38,403 units were sold, a decrease of 13.9% compared to the same month last year. The best-selling model was the Sorento, with 7,454 units sold. Passenger models included the RAY with 3,876 units, the K5 with 2,583 units, and the K8 with 2,297 units, totaling 10,363 units sold. RVs, including the Sorento, totaled 25,520 units sold, with the Sportage selling 6,547 units, the Carnival selling 6,068 units, and the Seltos selling 4,342 units. Commercial vehicle sales totaled 2,520 units.
Overseas sales recorded an increase of 0.1% compared to the same period last year, reaching 200,993 units. The Sportage topped the overseas sales list with 36,926 units sold, followed by the K3 (including K4) with 18,663 units and the Seltos with 17,856 units.
A Kia official noted, "Last month, domestic sales temporarily decreased due to a reduction in business days caused by the Lunar New Year holiday, but the overseas market showed a continued improvement in sales performance. This year, we will expand our lineup with various new models including the Tasman, Shiros, EV4, PV5, and EV5, to sustain our global sales growth."
GM Korea sold a total of 31,618 units last month, a decrease of 26.8% compared to the same month last year, combining both domestic and export sales. Domestic sales totaled 1,229 units, down 57.5%, while exports recorded 30,389 units, a decrease of 24.6%.
Renault Korea was the only one among the five companies to see an increase in sales last month compared to the same month last year. The sales improvement was driven by the mid-sized sport utility vehicle (SUV) Grand Koleos, which was launched in the second half of last year. Last month, Renault Korea's total sales, including both domestic and export, reached 3,817 units, a 104% increase from the same period last year. However, this represents a decrease of 73.9% compared to the previous month.
KG Mobility sold 7,980 units, a decrease of 13% compared to the same month last year. Exports increased to 5,680 units, up 5%, while domestic market sales dropped by 38.9% to 2,300 units.