Hyundai Motor and Kia's market share in Europe in October fell by 0.5 percentage points from the same period a year earlier. It was a disappointing report card as overall sales in the European market rose by nearly 5% year over year. The results are seen as being affected by the offensive from Chinese brands, with BYD sales surging by more than 200%.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) and foreign media on the 25th, last month in Europe Hyundai Motor sold 41,137 vehicles and Kia sold 40,403. That was down 0.8% and 2.0%, respectively, from a year earlier.
By contrast, the overall European auto market is growing. Last month, European auto sales reached 1,091,904, up 4.9% from a year earlier. As a result, Hyundai Motor's 3.8% and Kia's 3.7% market shares in Europe totaled 7.5%, down 0.5 percentage points from a year earlier.
The slump at Hyundai Motor and Kia is seen as the result of gains by Chinese brands. In October, BYD sold 17,470 vehicles, a 206.8% surge from a year earlier. Its market share expanded from 0.5% to 1.1%. Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) sold 23,860 vehicles, marking 35.9% growth. Its market share rose by 0.5 percentage points, from 1.7% to 2.2%.
Japanese brands are in a similar situation to Hyundai Motor Group. Toyota Group sales were 74,741, down 11.9%. Nissan and Suzuki fell 2.4% and 4.6%, respectively. Tesla, which competes with BYD for the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in global electric vehicle sales, sold 6,964 vehicles, down 48.5%.
Hyundai Motor's major sellers in Europe included the Tucson (9,959 units), Kona (6,717), and i10 (3,877). Kia's best sellers were the Sportage (11,960), Ceed (6,271), and EV3 (5,463), in that order.
Hyundai Motor's key eco-friendly models, including hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and electric vehicles (EV), posted sales of 6,535 units for the Tucson, 5,275 for the Kona, and 2,704 for the Inster (Casper Electric). Kia's eco-friendly lineup saw strong sales of the EV3 (5,463), Niro (3,635), and EV4 (1,410).