Hyundai Motor's Strong Performance, Kia Falters
Hyundai Motor Group sold over 560,000 vehicles in the European automotive market during the first half of this year. While Hyundai's sales increased during the same period, Kia's sales volume declined. The market share also slightly decreased to 8.2%.
According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) on the 18th, Hyundai and Kia's total sales in Europe from January to May this year amounted to 563,862 units, representing a 2.0% decrease compared to the same period last year. The overall European market grew by 4.4% during the same period, causing Hyundai Motor Group's market share to drop from 8.7% to 8.2%.
Specifically, Hyundai's sales volume increased by 4.0% year-on-year to 281,518 units. In contrast, Kia's sales volume decreased by 7.4%, totaling 282,344 units.
The best-selling Hyundai model was the Tucson, with total sales of 64,254 units. It was followed by the Kona (42,151 units) and the i20 (32,220 units).
Kia's top-selling model was the Sportage, with 88,789 units sold. This was followed by the Ceed (61,860 units) and the Niro (38,846 units). The Ceed is Kia's strategically launched hatchback model in Europe.
For the month of last month alone, Hyundai Motor Group's sales volume was 102,078 units, a 4.2% decrease compared to the same month last year. Hyundai's sales increased by 2.3% to 53,127 units, but Kia's sales dropped by 10.4% to 48,951 units. Considering that the overall European market grew by 3.6% to 1,310,989 units during the same period, this performance is seen as somewhat disappointing.
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