SsangYong Ahead of Renault Samsung and GM Korea in May
The domestic car sales volume decreased last month due to the ongoing automotive chip shortage. That month, Kia’s passenger car and recreational vehicle (RV) sales volume exceeded that of Hyundai Motor Co., and SsangYong Motor Co., which is in the process of corporate rehabilitation, outperformed Renault Samsung Motors and GM Korea.
Hyundai sold 323,129 cars at home and abroad last month, up 42.7 percent from a year ago and down 7.5 percent from the previous month. The company’s monthly average in January to May this year is 334,532. Kia sold 245,994 cars last month, up 49.2 percent from a year ago and down 2.9 percent from the previous month.
In the domestic market, Hyundai and Kia sold 62,056 and 47,901 cars last month, respectively. However, Kia sold 21,097 RVs while Hyundai sold 15,981 RVs. In addition, Kia sold 22,077 sedans while Hyundai sold 19,723 sedans. Genesis, the premium brand of Hyundai, sold 13,031 cars in the domestic market last month.
In the meantime, Renault Samsung’s global sales volume fell 13.3 percent year on year to 10,348 and its domestic sales volume plummeted 56.2 percent to 4,635. For the first five months of this year, the company’s domestic sales volume dropped 44.1 percent year on year to 23,230.
Last month, SsangYong sold 4,956 cars in South Korea, down 32.8 percent from a year ago and up 49.4 percent from the previous month. GM Korea sold 4,597 cars in South Korea last month.