Hyundai Motor and Kia saw their market share in Europe in November fall by 0.2 percentage points from the same period a year earlier. The decline in Hyundai Motor Group's European market share is seen as stemming from Chinese automaker BYD's sales surging more than 230%.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), Hyundai Motor sold 41,026 vehicles in Europe last month, up 3.7% from a year earlier, while Kia sold 38,875 vehicles, down 3.2%. Combined sales by Hyundai Motor and Kia came to 79,901 units, up 0.2% from a year earlier.
By contrast, Europe's auto market itself is on a growth track. A total of 1,079,563 vehicles were sold in Europe last month, up 2.4% from a year earlier. In Oct., 1,091,904 vehicles were sold, a 4.9% increase from a year earlier.
Accordingly, Hyundai Motor and Kia's market share in Europe was 7.4%, down 0.2 percentage points from a year earlier.
Sales by Chinese automakers in Europe, including BYD, are on the rise. BYD sold 16,158 vehicles in Europe in Nov., up 235% from a year earlier. Shanghai Automotive also sold 17,067 vehicles, up 41.6% from a year earlier.
Toyota's sales also faltered for a second straight month. Toyota Group's November sales in Europe were 64,788 vehicles, down 9.2% from a year earlier. Nissan's sales fell 8.8% to 13,008 vehicles, and Suzuki's sales declined 20.9% to 12,957.
Hyundai Motor's main sellers were the Tucson at 9,895 units, the Kona at 7,079, and the i20 at 4,400. Kia's best sellers were the Sportage at 11,479 units, the EV3 at 5,827, and the Ceed at 4,051.
Including hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and electric vehicles (EV), Hyundai Motor's key eco-friendly models sold were the Tucson at 5,982 units, the Kona at 5,407, and the Inster (Casper Electric) at 2,042. Kia's eco-friendly sales were led by the EV3 at 5,827 units, the Niro at 3,142, and the EV6 at 1,236.