Five Major Automakers See Sharp Drop in February Domestic Sales Due to Lunar New Year, Exports Remain Strong (Comprehensive)

Domestic Sales Down 14.8% Year-on-Year,
Overseas Sales Up 1.8%

Last month's Lunar New Year holiday led to a decline in domestic automobile sales compared to the same period last year.

According to the industry on March 3, the five major Korean automakers (Hyundai Motor, Kia, GM Korea, KG Mobility, and Renault Korea) sold 95,638 vehicles in the domestic market in February, marking a 14.8% decrease compared to the same month last year.

Overseas, they sold 527,051 vehicles, which is a 1.8% increase from the same period last year. While the expansion into overseas markets led to a slight increase in exports, there was a significant decline in domestic sales.

Hyundai Motor and Kia announced on March 3 that they sold 306,528 and 247,401 units, respectively, in the global market last month. Compared to the same month last year, this represents a decrease of 5.1% and 2.8%, respectively.

Hyundai Motor's domestic sales fell by 17.8% to 47,008 units, while overseas sales dropped by 2.3% to 259,520 units.

In the domestic market, Hyundai's sedans sold a total of 13,568 units, including 3,933 units of the Grandeur, 4,436 of the Sonata, and 3,628 of the Avante. For recreational vehicles (RVs), 18,756 units were sold in total, including 3,081 units of the Palisade, 2,679 of the Santa Fe, 2,972 of the Tucson, 2,876 of the Kona, and 1,171 of the Casper. The Porter sold 4,634 units, the Staria 1,781 units, and a total of 1,122 units of medium and large buses and trucks were sold.

The luxury brand Genesis sold a total of 6,942 units-2,247 units of the G80, 1,689 of the GV80, and 2,206 of the GV70-representing a 32.1% decrease compared to the same month last year.

Kia's domestic sales dropped by 8.7% to 42,002 units, and overseas sales decreased by 1.5% to 205,005 units. The best-selling model in Korea was the Sorento, with 7,693 units sold.

For passenger cars, 9,896 units were sold, including 3,241 units of the Ray, 2,175 of the K5, and 1,384 of the K8. For RVs, 25,447 units were sold, including the Sorento, 3,800 units of the Sportage, 3,712 of the Carnival, and 3,469 of the EV3. For commercial vehicles, 6,659 units were sold, including 3,967 units of the PV5 and 2,607 of the Bongo III.

Overseas, the Sportage was the best-selling model with 43,281 units, followed by the Seltos with 22,875 units and the K4 with 18,434 units.

Both Hyundai Motor and Kia saw an increase in electric vehicle sales. Hyundai sold 9,956 units, up 86.2% from the same month last year. Kia sold 14,488 units, surpassing 10,000 monthly sales for the first time. The PV5 was the top seller, followed by the EV3 (3,469 units) and the EV5 (2,524 units).

The three mid-sized automakers focused on overseas markets, showing solid performance in overseas sales.

GM Korea sold 36,630 units, a 7.6% decrease compared to the same month last year. Domestic sales were 927 units, remaining below 1,000 units for the second consecutive month since January.

Overseas sales totaled 35,703 units, a 6.5% decrease compared to the same period last year. Overseas sales of the Chevrolet Trailblazer (including derivative models) increased by 7.8% year-on-year to 13,004 units. The Trax Crossover (including derivative models) sold 22,699 units overseas during the same period.

Gustavo Colossi, Vice President of Sales, Service, and Marketing at GM Korea, stated, "Consistent interest in strategic models such as the Trax Crossover and Trailblazer from the Chevrolet brand is translating into strong global demand. We will continue to expand opportunities for customers to directly experience the unique value and competitiveness of Chevrolet brand products."

KG Mobility (KGM) sold a total of 8,237 units, with 3,701 units in the domestic market and 4,536 units exported. Thanks to increased sales of the Musso, which was launched in January, domestic sales reached their highest level in five months since September last year (4,100 units). The Musso led the upward trend with 1,393 units sold in February, following 1,123 units in January.

Exports declined year-on-year due to a reduction in the number of working days, which led to decreased production volume. However, sales in the Turkiye region remained strong, with the Torres EVX selling 1,445 units, up 22% from the previous month and 68% compared to the same month last year.

Renault Korea recorded total sales of 3,893 units, with 2,000 units sold domestically and 1,893 units exported. Domestic sales fell by 59.0% compared to the same month last year, while exports increased by 55.4%.

The mid-size SUV Grand Koleos sold 1,474 units, leading domestic sales. The new crossover "Filante" accumulated around 7,000 contracts by the end of February, with deliveries to customers scheduled to begin in the second week of this month.

The coupe-style SUV Arkana sold 336 units, while the Scenic E-Tech 100% Electric, a compact electric SUV produced in France and limited to 999 units for the Korean market, sold 150 units, depleting the available stock. For exports, the Grand Koleos (export name: New Renault Koleos) recorded 847 units, the Arkana 546 units, and 500 units of the Polestar 4 electric SUV produced on a contract manufacturing basis were exported to North America.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.