"300,000 Units in H1 Alone"... SUV Sales Soar Thanks to Sorento and Palisade Popularity

Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors Both Surpass 100,000 SUV Sales in First Half
Korea GM and Renault Samsung Double Sales Year-on-Year Thanks to 'New Car Effect'

Kia Sorento (Photo by Kia)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] Domestic sales of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) exceeded 300,000 units in the first half of this year. The share of SUVs in the overall passenger car market also surpassed 45%, continuing the "SUV heyday."

According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association on the 2nd, the SUV sales volume of five domestic automakers in the first half of this year recorded 310,534 units. This is a 25.6% increase compared to the same period last year. The proportion of SUVs in total passenger car sales rose by 5.7 percentage points year-on-year to 45.2%.

During this period, Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors each sold more than 100,000 SUVs. Hyundai sold over 110,000 SUVs for the first time in the first half of last year and sold 118,316 units this year as well. The Palisade, which is approaching its second year since launch, maintained its popularity with 31,029 units sold. It was followed by the Santa Fe (26,104 units), Kona (18,577 units), and Genesis GV80 (17,007 units).

Kia Motors surpassed 100,000 SUV sales for the first time in the first half of this year. Thanks to the strong performance of new models such as the Mohave and Sorento released since the end of last year, the share of SUVs in total sales reached 41.7%. In particular, the Sorento became the best-selling SUV domestically by recording sales of 37,867 units in the first half alone.

Korea GM greatly benefited from the compact SUV "Trailblazer." In the first half, the Trailblazer sold 9,545 units, accounting for more than half of the total SUV sales (16,299 units). As a result, Korea GM's SUV sales more than doubled compared to the first half of last year.

Renault Samsung Motors also sold 47,959 SUVs in the first half of this year, supported by strong sales of its flagship model QM6 and the XM3, which was introduced in March this year. SsangYong Motor, which has configured an SUV-centered lineup, saw sales of the Korando increase by 42.9% year-on-year to 9,613 units in the first half.

The strong performance of SUVs is expected to continue in the second half of the year. The new Santa Fe, a representative domestic SUV, will begin full-scale deliveries from this month, and major new models such as the new Tucson and Genesis GV70 are also scheduled for release in the second half.