Hyundai Strike Drags Down August Sales, While Kia Sorento Tops Domestic Market

South Korea’s five automakers sold a combined 589,412 vehicles worldwide in August, but the results split sharply between companies. Hyundai Motor’s sales fell after a strike disrupted production, while Kia and GM Korea benefited from stronger overseas demand.

Hyundai sold 288,574 vehicles, down 14.2% from a year earlier. Domestic sales dropped 41.1% to 34,333 units, and overseas sales fell 8.5% to 254,241. The company’s January-to-August sales also declined 6.0% year on year, to 2.58 million vehicles.

Kia moved in the opposite direction. Its global sales rose 5.0% to 266,675 vehicles, despite a 7.6% decline in domestic sales. Overseas sales increased 7.4% to 225,413 vehicles, pushing the company’s cumulative sales for the first eight months up 4.4% to 2.20 million. Sales of special-purpose vehicles also jumped 93.9% to 1,049.

GM Korea sold 23,042 vehicles, up 9.4%, as exports rose 12.4%. The Chevrolet Trax Crossover alone accounted for 18,223 overseas sales. KG Mobility sold 6,860 vehicles, down 22.6%, while Renault Korea’s sales fell 34.0% to 4,261. Renault said hybrid models made up 79% of its domestic sales this year.

The Kia Sorento led South Korea’s August sales rankings with 6,397 units. It was followed by Hyundai’s Grandeur with 5,931, Hyundai’s Porter with 4,224, Kia’s Carnival with 4,186 and Kia’s Sportage with 3,874. The article attributes weaker domestic sales at most companies to fewer working days during the summer holiday period, production problems and subdued consumer spending.