Rolling Well in Europe
Hyundai and Kia continued enjoying strong sales in Europe in October.
Hyundai and Kia sold a total of 81,799 units in the European market in October, according to the Hyundai Automotive Group on November 16. The figure is an 8.7-percent increase from the same period of last year. Hyundai sold 42,821 units, up 7.7 percent from a year earlier while Kia 38.878 units, up 9.8 percent over the same period. However, their sales volume slid 18.3% compared to September. This drop is blamed on a decline in industrial demand in the European market. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), industrial demand in the European market in October totaled 1,207,982 units, down 17.6% from September's 1,466,336.
By models, Hyundai's Tucson sales amounted to 13,509 units, followed by the i20 (7,406 units) and the i30 (6,929 units). Kia Motors sold 9,681 units of the Sportage which was followed by the Pride (Rio) with 5,671 units. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors began to export the Kona and the Stonic to Europe in October, respectively and sold 2,764 units and 2,960 units respectively in the European market.
The automobile industry is forecasting that Hyundai and Kia will make a big improvement to their sales in the European market in the future as they began to sell the Kona and the Stonic on a full scale in November. During the first ten months of this year, the two automakers sold 844,658 in total, up 5.7 percent from a year before.