Domestic Automakers
Domestic automakers that showed poor performance in the first quarter are now doing better.
According to the May 1 performance data of the five domestic automobile manufacturers – Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung Motors, and Ssangyong Motor – Renault Samsung Motors recorded the best sales results in April, the first month of the second quarter, compared with the increased range in April last year. While Renault Samsung Motors, Kia Motors, and Ssangyong Motor saw growth in the domestic market, Hyundai Motor is covering up its stagnant sales at home with sales overseas. Even though GM Korea did not do well in both exports and the domestic market, the company is planning to improve its performance with aggressive promotions.
Kia Motors, Renault Samsung Motors, and Ssangyong Motor showed good performance in the domestic market compared with the result of the previous year.
Among them, Renault Samsung Motors showed sales growth both at home and overseas. The company sold a total of 23,393 vehicles, an 86.5 percent increase from a year earlier. It exported 16,375 units, the highest figure since the establishment. In the domestic market, Renault Samsung Motors sold 7,018 units, 14.1 percent more from the previous year. This is largely due to the sudden increase in the QM3 supply. The sales of the QM3 almost tripled, to a total of 2,628 units, a 179.9 percent increase from the previous month. In the overseas markets, the export version of the Nissan Rogue was popular. The company sold 12,440 units a month in eight months after it started production of the Nissan Rogue.
Kia Motors sold a total of 272,310 units. Its sales decreased only 1.4 percent from the same period in the previous year, even under the worst of the conditions in the overseas market. The company saw sales decline by 3.4 percent in the overseas market due to the economic recession in emerging countries, including Russia. However, it saw rapid sales growth at home based on the improved brand value and the sales increase of its popular RV models. Domestic sales grew 10.4 percent from a year earlier.
Ssangyong Motor saw a positive effect from the Tivoli. Its sales in April reached 12,531 units. The figure decreased 8.1 percent compared with the same period last year. However, its domestic sales increased 353 percent due to its popular Tivoli model.
Hyundai Motor and GM Korea seem to be waking up from their stagnation.
Hyundai Motor sold a total of 436,859 units, recording an 0.8 percent decrease from a year ago. Its sales in the domestic market declined 4.3 percent to 63,050 units from a year earlier. However, its sales in the overseas market decreased only 0.1 percent to 373,809 units, virtually normalizing sales. At home, the company eased poor performance by releasing the new Tucson. A total of 9,255 units were sold, 2.7 times higher than that of the previous year, including the previous model.
During the same period, GM Korea sold a total of 52,746 units - 12,687 units at home and 40,059 units overseas. Total sales decreased 12.1 percent compared with the previous year. However, the sales of its main models, including the Cruze, Trax, and Orlando showed an upward trend compared with the same month the previous year. The Cruze sold 1,689 units in April, a 4.2 percent growth from the same month the previous year. The new Cruze, which was released in January, continued to gain popularity after its front and rear designs were upgraded. Also, it has shown a sales upturn for three months in a row.