Hyundai Motor's sales slump is dragging on. With domestic and overseas sales in June down nearly 6% from a year earlier, it marked negative growth for the ninth straight month. Kia, by contrast, saw domestic and overseas sales in June climb more than 9% from a year earlier, setting a record for the most sales in the first half. Among midsize corporations, GM Korea and KG Mobility maintained growth, while Renault Korea's sales fell about 46% from a year earlier.
On the 1st, Hyundai Motor said it sold a total of 338,313 vehicles at home and abroad in June. That was down 5.9% from the same period a year earlier. Hyundai Motor's monthly global sales fell 6.9% on the year to 351,753 in October last year, and have failed to break out of a losing streak for nine straight months through last month.
Breaking down Hyundai Motor's June sales by market, domestic sales fell 6.2% on the year to 58,232 units. They have declined for five straight months since February, though the drop narrowed compared with the double-digit decreases in April (-19.9%) and May (-23.1%). Overseas, the company sold 280,081 units, down 5.8%, also marking a ninth straight monthly decline.
In Korea, sedans totaled 20,253 units, led by the Grandeur at 10,062. Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) sold 20,720 units, including 4,211 Palisades, and the luxury Genesis brand sold a total of 7,936 units, including 2,944 G80s and 2,428 GV70s.
Hyundai Motor plans to drive a rebound in sales through service upgrades and the impact of new models. Vice Chairman Chang Jae-hoon of Hyundai Motor Group met with reporters at the Suwon High-Tech Center the previous day and said, "We are continuously improving service quality and customer responsiveness compared to foreign brands, and will make it a differentiator," adding, "The pull from new models such as the Grandeur this year and the upcoming Avante will be sufficient for the next few years."
Unlike Hyundai Motor, Kia posted solid results. Including special-purpose vehicles, it sold a total of 295,720 units at home and abroad in June, up 9.5% from a year earlier. After a 2.8% decline in February, Kia returned to a 2.7% increase in March and has maintained growth for four straight months. Kia's first-half sales reached 1,630,988 units, the most ever for a first half.
Looking only at June, Kia's domestic sales growth stood out in particular. Sales rose 18.5% to 54,508 units. Overseas sales increased 7.6% to 240,259 units. At home, the Sorento ranked first with 8,561 units, while overseas the Sportage was the top seller with 47,882 units. First-half EV sales were 72,078 units, a record high.
Among midsize corporations, GM Korea sold 48,134 units at home and abroad in June, up 6.6% from a year earlier. Exports drove the growth. Overseas sales rose 7.3% to 47,085 units. A GM Korea official said, "The Chevrolet Trax Crossover led overall results with sales up 5.9% to 30,503 units, and the Chevrolet Trailblazer also rose 9.9% to 16,582 units." Domestic sales, by contrast, fell 18.0% to 1,049 units.
KG Mobility sold a total of 11,982 units in June—including 3,637 domestically, 8,345 for export, and locally assembled units—up 29.8% from the same period a year earlier. Boosted by the pickup truck Musso launched early this year, the company set a new monthly sales record for the first time in about three years since March 2023. Renault Korea sold a total of 4,651 units—3,400 domestically and 1,251 for export—plunging 45.7% from a year earlier.
As a result, the five complete vehicle makers sold a combined 698,800 units at home and abroad in June, up 1.17% from June a year earlier (690,668).