Hyundai Motor Co. that is grappling with dwindling local car sales has been relieved by brisk response to new Grandeur sedan on home turf over the last two months since its launch despite subdued consumption and fewer number of working days in January due to the Lunar New Year holidays.

According to vehicle shipment data compiled by five domestic automakers in January, Hyundai Motor’s flagship Grandeur sedan, which is also known as the Azera in overseas markets, was top-seller in Korea, with total shipments of its old and new models reaching 10,586 units last month. The new Grandeur sedan, launched in November 2016, sold 17,247 units in December last year alone.

Considering that vehicle sales are usually low in January after automakers generally end holiday sales promotions at the end of each year, the sales result of the new Grandeur is impressive. In addition, there were a fewer number of working days last month due to the Lunar New Year holiday. Despite all these negative factors, the new Grandeur that has enjoyed the so-called new car effect sold 9,414 units in January. Hyundai Motor’s Porter 1-ton pickup ranked second with 7,860 units, followed by Kia Motors’ Morning, Carnival, Sorento and Hyundai’s Avante each shipped more than 5,000 units.

The Kenbo 600, a Chinese sport utility vehicle, which hit the Korean market last month for the first time, has drawn 60 pre-orders. BAIC Motor originally shipped total 120 units of the first Chinese passenger vehicle, which is sold as S6 in China, to the Korean auto market.

The combined sales of Korea`s five major car makers - Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, GM Korea, Renault Samsung and Ssangyong Motor - totaled 618,930 units both at home and abroad in January, down 1.17 percent from the same month last year when the figures stood at 626,269 units.

In the domestic market only, the five carmakers delivered a combined 106,210 cars last month, inching down from 106,308 units a year earlier. Except for Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors struggling with the aged flagship models, the rest enjoyed stellar sales in the local market last month.

By Lee Seung-hoon

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]