Hyundai Motor's March sales down 2 pc, Kia reports 2.2 pc rise

Seoul: Hyundai Motor said on Tuesday its monthly sales for March dropped 2 per cent from a year earlier due to a decline in overseas markets.

The automaker sold 365,812 vehicles last month, down from 373,290 units in the same month last year, the company said in a press release.

Domestic sales gained 0.9 percent on-year to 63,090 units, but overseas sales shed 2.6 percent to 302,722 units, reports Yonhap news agency.

At home, the bestselling model was the Avante, selling 6,829 units, followed by the Grandeur sedan, selling 6,211 units. The Sante Fe was the most popular sport utility vehicle (SUV) domestically, selling 5,591 units.

"We will strengthen our sales and production systems tailored to local demand and policies to respond flexibly to regional market changes," a Hyundai Motor official said.

Meanwhile, Kia said its monthly sales for March rose 2.2 per cent from a year before, as the company said demand increased both at home and abroad.

Kia sold 278,058 vehicles last month, up from 272,011 units in the same month last year, the company said in a press release.

Domestic sales increased 2 percent on-year to 50,006 units, while overseas sales gained 2.2 percent to 227,724 units.

By vehicle model, the Sportage sport utility vehicle (SUV) was the bestselling model in overseas markets, with 42,579 units sold. It was followed by the Sorento and the K3, selling 20,439 units and 18,200 units, respectively.

At home, the Sorento was the most popular model, selling 10,155 units.

Kia said it achieved its highest-ever first-quarter sales, with the number of vehicles sold during the January-March period totalling 772,351 units, up 1.6 percent from the same period last year.

"Hybrid models of key models, such as the EV3, Sportage and Sorento, which were launched in the second half of last year, drove strong sales and helped us achieve the highest-ever first-quarter performance," a Kia official said.