Kia (000270.KS) sold more than 55,000 vehicles in Korea in April, overtaking Hyundai Motor (005380.KS), which sold 54,051 units. It was the first time Kia had outpaced Hyundai in monthly sales since 1998. That earlier instance was an anomaly, occurring when Hyundai's union went on strike and halted production as the company undertook layoffs in the wake of the IMF crisis. Because Hyundai had held an unshakable No. 1 position in the domestic market, its ceding of the top spot to Kia, the group's junior affiliate, sent ripples through the industry.
Throughout the first half of this year, Kia's advance stood out in the domestic auto market. Kia sold 295,779 vehicles through June, a 7% increase from the same period last year. This contrasts with Hyundai's sales performance of 314,900 units, which fell 10.8% over the same period. As Hyundai strengthened promotions to make up for weak sales, mid-tier automakers such as Renault Korea and GM Korea posted double-digit declines from last year, showing sluggish performance.
Driving Kia's strong results was the Sorento sport utility vehicle (SUV). Sorento sales reached 55,426 units in the first half, up 8.4% from a year earlier. As the volume model, accounting for about 20% of total sales, drew steady popularity, it lifted overall sales performance.
Kia's eco-friendly vehicle sales also grew sharply. First-half hybrid vehicle (HEV) sales of 106,010 units rose 11.9% from the same period last year, exceeding the overall sales growth rate.
Electric vehicle sales of 72,078 units surged 151.1%. Kia's purpose-built vehicle (PBV) PV5 sold 15,000 units in its launch year, driving the improvement in performance. Kia plans to further boost sales by diversifying the lineup, including the multi-passenger PV5 Passenger, the premium PV5 Prime, and the cargo-delivery PV5 Cargo High Roof.
For Hyundai, it was painful that first-half sales of its flagship Santa Fe (20,511 units) plunged 36% from the same period last year (32,254 units). Sales of the volume model Tucson also fell 23% over the same period. It has faced difficulties in sales as more consumers turned to the similarly sized Tesla Model Y Premium.
On top of that, a fire at Anjeon Industrial in March this year worked as an adverse factor. Anjeon Industrial had supplied components such as the 2.5 turbo engine valves used in Hyundai's Genesis and Palisade Hybrid. As parts supply was suspended in the fire's aftermath, sales of the two models were delayed by several months.
Hyundai plans to pursue a domestic rebound by rolling out roughly one new model each month in the second half, starting with the new Avante. Hyundai plans to launch six new models, including the GV80 Hybrid and the new Tucson. "Since the domestic auto market has shown a downturn this year, it is not easy to boost sales with existing models alone," an industry official said. "Other automakers, including Hyundai, are also considering ways to move up their new-model launch schedules."
Mid-tier automakers have also shown broadly weak performance. Renault Korea's first-half sales came to 21,187 units, plunging 24.5% from the same period last year. This stands in stark contrast to the steep 31.3% growth it posted last year on the strength of its new SUV, the Grand Koleos. As the new-car effect of the Grand Koleos faded and sales of the Filante, launched in March this year, fell short of expectations, overall sales dropped sharply.
Renault aims for a sales rebound by mass-producing this month a new model from Polestar, a subsidiary of China's Geely Automobile. It is also reviewing a plan to move up the facelift schedule for the Grand Koleos. Given that the car was first launched last year, discussion of a new model is coming at a somewhat early point. "Options being discussed within the company include releasing a model with slight changes to the car's front or rear design, or launching a special edition," an industry official said. "It will be finalized after discussions with Renault's headquarters."
GM Korea's domestic sales performance is worsening steadily. GM Korea's first-half sales fell 35.1% from a year earlier to 5,271 units. Its share of all domestically produced cars sold in the domestic market in the first half (654,076 units) was just 0.8%. As GM Korea has designed its sales strategy around exports, leaving new domestic model launches infrequent, it is completely losing its presence in the domestic market.
KG Mobility sold 21,806 units in the first half, a 19% increase from a year earlier. Sales of its flagship SUV, the Musso (including the EV model), surged 65% to 12,271 units, driving the strong results.
