Five Major Automakers Sell 626,721 Units in August... Sales Rise for Five Consecutive Months

Uncertainty Over U.S. Tariffs Eased, Sustaining Sales Growth
Hyundai Avante Tops Best-Selling Model List

The five major domestic automakers have continued their sales growth for five consecutive months.

According to Hyundai Motor Company, Kia, GM Korea, Renault Korea, and KG Mobility (KGM) on September 1, the combined domestic and overseas sales of these five companies last month totaled 626,721 units, up 1.2% from the same month last year. The five automakers have recorded year-on-year sales growth for five consecutive months: April (up 2.4%), May (up 0.3%), June (up 0.2%), and July (up 2.4%).

Domestic sales for the five companies reached 111,135 units, an increase of 5.2%. Except for GM Korea, which saw a 25.2% decrease, all other companies-Hyundai Motor Company (up 0.4%), Kia (up 7.4%), Renault Korea (up 186.5%), and KGM (up 2.8%)-experienced growth in sales volume.

Overseas sales rose by 0.4% to 515,586 units. GM Korea, which is most affected by U.S. tariffs, recorded 19,852 units in overseas sales, a 41.6% increase. Although the U.S. tariff was reduced to 15%, higher than the Korean government’s expected 12.5%, the removal of related uncertainties is believed to have had a positive impact on sales.

Export vehicles are waiting to be loaded at Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi Province. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

By company, Hyundai Motor Company sold 336,395 units in domestic and overseas markets, a 0.4% increase from the same month last year. Domestic sales increased by 0.4% to 58,330 units. In overseas markets, sales rose by 0.5% to 270,865 units compared to the same month last year.

Kia sold a total of 263,950 vehicles, including 43,675 units domestically (up 7.4%) and 220,275 units overseas (down 0.5%), with special vehicles included. This represents a 0.8% increase in total sales.

GM Korea sold 21,059 vehicles in domestic and overseas markets last month, up 34.7% from the same period last year. GM Korea’s sales had nearly halved in August last year due to production disruptions caused by a partial strike, and this year’s growth is attributed to the resulting base effect.

KGM sold a total of 8,860 units in domestic and overseas markets during the same period, a 9.0% increase from 8,128 units in the same month last year. The sales figures include completely knocked down (CKD) kits.

Renault Korea sold only 6,457 units, a 23.6% decrease from the same month last year. Domestic sales surged by 186.5% to 3,868 units, while overseas sales dropped by 63.5% to 2,589 units.

Meanwhile, the best-selling model in the domestic market last month was the Hyundai Avante, with 7,655 units sold. This marks the first time in a year that a sedan has topped the best-selling list since the Hyundai Sonata sold 6,317 units in August last year. The Avante also reclaimed the “best-selling car” title for the first time in three years and eleven months since September 2021 (5,217 units). The next most popular models were the Kia Sorento (6,531 units), Kia Carnival (6,031 units), Kia Sportage (5,755 units), and Hyundai Porter (5,547 units).