[Asia Economy reporters Changhwan Lee and Gimin Lee] Hyundai Motor Company and Kia showed improved sales performance last month despite the semiconductor supply shortage.
Hyundai Motor announced on the 1st that it sold a total of 323,129 vehicles in May, including 62,056 units domestically and 261,073 units overseas.
Compared to the same period last year, domestic sales decreased by 12.4%, but overseas sales increased by 67.7%, resulting in a total vehicle sales increase of 42.7%.
Hyundai explained that due to the semiconductor shortage and other factors, sales volume in the domestic market decreased compared to the same month last year. Sedans sold a total of 19,723 units, including 7,802 units of Grandeur, 6,697 units of Avante, and 5,131 units of Sonata.
Recreational Vehicles (RVs) sold a total of 15,981 units, including 5,040 units of Palisade, 3,479 units of Santa Fe, and 2,988 units of Tucson.
Porter recorded sales of 6,930 units, Staria sold 3,232 units, and medium and large buses and trucks sold 2,815 units. In particular, sales of medium and large trucks increased by 31.2% year-on-year due to increased sales of models such as Pavis and Mighty.
The premium brand Genesis sold a total of 13,031 units, including 5,584 units of G80, 4,336 units of GV70, and 1,531 units of GV80.
Hyundai cited the base effect from last year's production disruptions and poor sales performance due to COVID-19 as the main reason for the increase in overseas sales last month.
Hyundai plans to actively participate in activities to overcome COVID-19 and strive to normalize sales.
A Hyundai official stated, "We will continue proactive risk management efforts by preparing countermeasures for each region to overcome the crisis caused by the COVID-19 situation," and added, "We will do our best to successfully capture the global market with major new vehicles."
Kia Also Holds Strong Sales...Carnival Continues to Perform Well
Kia sold a total of 245,994 units, including 47,901 units domestically and 198,093 units overseas. Compared to the same period last year, domestic sales decreased by 6.4%, while overseas sales increased by 74.2%.
The best-selling vehicle in the domestic market was the Carnival (7,219 units), which ranked first in Kia's monthly sales for nine consecutive months, closely following the Grandeur, which is the 'number one in domestic sales.'
Passenger car models sold a total of 22,077 units, including 6,034 units of K5, 5,565 units of K8, 3,608 units of Ray, and 3,147 units of K3, marking a 3.9% increase compared to the same period last year.
Overseas sales were led by the Sportage with 31,486 units sold, followed by K3 (Forte) with 24,637 units, and Pride (Rio) with 18,377 units.
A Kia official said, "We will strengthen sales momentum by leading with competitive new models such as the dedicated electric vehicle EV6, K8, and the 5th generation Sportage."
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