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Title	S. Korean carmakers' sales jump 8.24 pct in September
Date	2014.10.01
By Lee Joon-seung SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap) -- Car sales by South Korean automakers jumped in September from a year earlier, fueled by the popularity of new models and consumer demand for steady sellers, industry data showed Wednesday. The combined sales of five local car manufacturers reached 696,640 vehicles last month, up a solid 8.24 percent from 643,615 vehicles sold a year ago. The total excludes complete knockdown (CKD) kits shipped abroad for assembly. Carmakers said brand new models and vehicles given facelifts sold well during the month, while sales of steady sellers and a rise in overseas production offset partial walkouts at some companies. Of the five original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), only GM Korea Co. and Ssangyong Motor Co. reported overall sales falling compared to the year before. Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., the country's two largest carmakers, sold 389,748 and 231,902 units, each, representing a gain of 6.7 percent and 19.7 percent from September 2013. The two are flagship companies of Hyundai Motor Group, the world's fifth-largest automotive conglomerate. GM Korea, the South Korean unit of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., reported sales hitting 48,161 cars last month, an on-year plunge of 23.4 percent, while SUV maker Ssangyong said it sold 10,345 cars, a slight dip from 10,436 units sold the year before. Renault Samsung Motors Co. (RSM), the local unit of French automaker Renault S.A., said sales surged 47.1 percent overall to 16,484 units. On the domestic front, all but GM Korea posted gains, indicative of a rise in demand for new cars in Asia's fourth-largest economy. Last month's sales in the home market by the five OEMs reached 110,600 units, up 9.48 percent from 101,021. "Sales of brand new cars such as the Genesis and Sonata pushed up sales, with the former's numbers hitting 27,596 units so far this year, which is more than two times the number of the premium sedan sold for the whole of last year," a source at Hyundai Motor said. He said that while partial walkouts affected production somewhat, the overall impact was not severe, especially since cars that are only made abroad, like the i20, sold well. Kia, Hyundai's smaller corporate cousin, said it benefitted from demand for its brand new Carnival minivan and Sorento crossover SUV. Sales of the third-generation Sorento hit 6,353 units last month, exceeding the carmaker's expectations. Hyundai and Kia said sales of its steady sellers such as its Avante compact and K5 midsize sedans bolstered numbers. GM, the No. 3 carmaker, said sales of its Malibu midsize car and Alpheon fullsize sedans were brisk last month. Malibu sales, including the diesel version, surged 219 percent from the year before last month. Such gains, however, were offset by a sharp drop in sales of its Spark mini hatchback, the carmaker's best-selling model. RSM's sales received a healthy boost after the launch of its facelifted SM7 Nova. Sales soared 86.7 percent on-year to 577 units last month, with demand for the midsize SM5 edging up as well. The carmaker said demand for the small QM3 crossover remained strong with monthly sales hitting 719 units. Ssangyong said that while its sales dipped slightly, its monthly tally again surpassed the important 10,000 mark. It said while developments in the Ukraine and Russia hurt exports, its Korando C SUV is drawing in customers in the global market. With regards to the overseas market, the five OEMs sold 585,980 vehicles abroad, up just under 8 percent from 542,594 units sold a year earlier. Hyundai and Kia sales stood at 341,959 and 193,297 vehicles, respectively, compared to 319,060 and 161,686 units sold a year earlier. RSM said its overseas sales increased, while GM Korea and Ssangyong reported losses. For the first nine months of this year, sales by local carmakers at home and abroad moved up 3.46 percent to 6,559,968 from 6,340,383 a year earlier. Overall domestic sales moved up 4.18 percent on-year to 1,051,330 units from 1,009,136, with overseas sales gaining 3.32 percent. In the January-September period, South Korean OEMs sold 5,508,638 cars in foreign markets vis-a-vis 5,331,247 units in 2013, the latest data showed. yonngong@yna.co.kr

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