In the Second Half of the Year, Promising Sedans Launch One After Another... Can They Overturn the SUV Reign?

Ioniq 6 Unveiled at Busan Motor Show
7th Generation Grandeur Scheduled for Release in Second Half of Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] New sedan models are being released one after another in the domestic automobile market. Amid the continued dominance of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), attention is focused on whether a new landscape can be created.

According to the automotive industry on the 3rd, Hyundai Motor Company will unveil the Ioniq 6, a pure electric vehicle, for the first time in the world at the 2022 Busan International Motor Show starting on the 15th. It is Hyundai's second electric vehicle using a dedicated platform and is a sedan model.

The Ioniq 6, equipped with Hyundai Motor Group's dedicated electric vehicle platform 'E-GMP,' is the first pure electric sedan. Previously, pure electric vehicles equipped with this platform were all SUVs, including Hyundai's Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60.

Along with this, the 7th generation Grandeur is scheduled to be released in the second half of this year. The new Grandeur is the 7th generation model, completely replacing the 6th generation launched at the end of 2016 after six years.

The 6th generation model established itself as a true 'bestseller,' selling over 100,000 units annually for four consecutive years since 2017. Even last year, the 5th year after its release, it sold 89,084 units, ranking second in overall best-selling cars after the Porter (92,218 units).

The 7th generation Grandeur model is expected to be released as a large sedan, larger than the 6th generation which was a mid-large sedan.

While sedans have traditionally been strong in the domestic automobile market, SUV sales have been increasing recently.

According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association, from January to May this year, domestic passenger car sales totaled 461,323 units, of which SUVs accounted for 52.9% (243,887 units) and sedans accounted for 39.4% (181,706 units).

However, both of the aforementioned models are expected to be 'volume models' aiming for annual sales of 100,000 units, so there is speculation that these new cars could boost sedan sales.