Last Year, Global Sales of 5 Major Automakers Fell Below 8 Million Units (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Reporter Su-yeon Woo] Last year, the global sales volume of five domestic automakers fell below the 8 million mark. Both domestic and export sales declined, with exports leading the sales slump by dropping more than 4% compared to the previous year.

According to the industry on the 2nd, last year, the five domestic automakers (Hyundai, Kia, Ssangyong, Renault Samsung, and Korea GM) sold 7,923,176 units globally, down 3.8% from the previous year in both domestic and overseas markets. The global sales volume of the five domestic automakers, which first surpassed 9 million units in 2015, dropped back to around 8 million units in 2016 and eventually fell below 8 million units in 2019.

Last year's global sales volume of the five automakers was significantly affected by sluggish exports. Their exports recorded 6,390,082 units, down 4.5% from the previous year, with Renault Samsung (-34%) and Ssangyong (-19.7%) showing particularly large declines. Hyundai and Kia also decreased by 4.8% and 1.3%, respectively.

In the domestic market, all companies except Hyundai experienced sluggish sales. Hyundai alone sold 741,842 units, up 2.9% from the previous year, while the other four companies all showed a downward trend in the domestic market. Notably, Korea GM, which had sold more than 90,000 units annually until 2018, dropped to about 76,471 units.

◆ Hyundai Motor: Strong Domestic Sales, Export Slump Mainly in Emerging Markets

In 2019, Hyundai Motor sold a total of 4,422,644 units globally, including 741,842 units domestically and 3,680,802 units overseas. Domestic sales increased by 2.9% compared to the previous year, while overseas sales decreased by 4.8%.

Last year, Hyundai showed strong sales in the domestic and advanced markets centered on its main models and new cars. However, overall performance declined due to weakened demand and sluggish sales in emerging markets.

By model, the Tucson topped global sales with 672,141 units sold worldwide. It was followed by the Avante with 558,255 units, Kona with 307,152 units, and Santa Fe with 274,025 units.

In the domestic market, the Grandeur (including 29,708 hybrid models) led sales with 103,349 units sold. Sonata (including 7,666 hybrid models) sold 100,003 units, and Avante sold 62,104 units, bringing total sedan sales to 279,242 units. Notably, both Sonata and Grandeur surpassed 100,000 units in annual sales, achieving the dual milestone of 100,000 units sold in a year for the first time in four years since Avante and Sonata did so in 2015.

◆ Kia Motors: Both Export and Domestic Sales Decline... Seltos and K-Series Are Bright Spots

Kia Motors sold 520,205 units domestically and 2,254,880 units overseas last year, totaling 2,770,693 units globally. Compared to the previous year, domestic sales decreased by 2.2%, and overseas sales decreased by 1.3%.

By model, the Sportage was the best-selling model globally with 476,050 units sold, followed by the K3 (Forte) with 291,592 units and the Rio (Pride) with 285,260 units.

In the domestic market, the K-Series sold a total of 150,772 units, including K3 (44,387 units), K5 (39,668 units), K7 (55,839 units), and K9 (10,878 units), marking a 3.4% increase compared to the previous year. The compact SUV Seltos, launched in July last year, sold 32,001 units, ranking first in Kia's average monthly sales with 5,333.5 units.

◆ Ssangyong Motor: Surpasses 100,000 Domestic Sales for Four Consecutive Years

Ssangyong Motor introduced improved models such as the new Korando, Rexton Sports Khan, and Tivoli last year, recording total sales of 135,235 units, including 107,789 units domestically and 27,446 units in exports.

In particular, domestic sales surpassed 100,000 units for the fourth consecutive year since 2016, supported by strong performances of main models including the Korando in an increasingly competitive market.

December sales also showed signs of recovery with a total of 12,923 units sold, including 10,574 units domestically and 2,349 units exported. This performance exceeded 12,000 units for the first time in seven months since May (12,338 units), marking a 20.2% increase compared to the previous month.

◆ Renault Samsung: Exports Plunge 34%... Nissan Rogue Volume Drops from 100,000 to 60,000 Units

Renault Samsung sold a total of 177,450 units last year, including 86,859 units domestically and 90,591 units exported. Domestic sales decreased by 3.9% compared to the previous year, while exports plunged by a staggering 34%.

The sharp decline in exports was largely due to a decrease in consignment volume of the Nissan Rogue. Last year, consignment production export volume of the Rogue was 69,880 units, down 34.8% from the previous year. Annual production, which exceeded 100,000 units until 2018, dropped to around 60,000 units.

Meanwhile, in the domestic market, the popular QM6 model offset the decline with strong sales. This year, QM6 sales increased by 44% year-on-year to 47,640 units. The QM6, mainly selling LPG models, ranks second in domestic mid-size SUV sales.

◆ Korea GM: Domestic Sales Fall Below 100,000 Units for Two Consecutive Years

Korea GM sold a total of 417,226 units in 2019, down 9.9% from the previous year.

Domestic sales dropped 18.1% to 76,471 units, and exports decreased by 7.8% to 340,755 units. Notably, domestic sales fell below the 100,000-unit mark for the second consecutive year following 2018.

Korea GM's ambitious imported models, the Traverse (842 units) and Colorado (1,261 units), were introduced but proved insufficient. Except for the mid-size SUV Equinox, all other models showed a decline in domestic sales compared to the previous year.

In the export market last year, exports of compact cars like the Spark and mid-to-large passenger cars increased by 4.9% and 19.3%, respectively, while RV models declined by more than 11%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.