'130,000 Units Produced Annually' Grandeur, 98% Sold Domestically in Korea

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[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] The Grandeur, which achieved '130,000 units produced' by October this year, sold 98% of its sales domestically. Unlike overseas markets where sport utility vehicles (SUVs) dominate, the domestic market is divided between sedans and SUVs, with sedans maintaining steady popularity. Among them, the Grandeur, the domestic best-selling car, is recognized as a 'national car' that solidly supports the demand in the domestic sedan market.

According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association on the 1st, the Grandeur produced a total of 130,478 units by October this year. This is the first time cumulative production has exceeded 130,000 units by October, and considering this trend, the Grandeur is expected to set a record for the highest production and sales ever this year.

Hyundai Motor 6th Generation Facelift Grandeur

Sales volume by October this year reached 127,404 units (domestic + export), a remarkable 55% increase compared to the same period last year, with 98% (124,736 units) absorbed by the domestic market. The Grandeur has maintained its position as the domestic best-selling car for three consecutive years from 2017 to last year, and this year it is aiming for a fourth consecutive best-selling car achievement by recording the highest cumulative sales.

The Grandeur's popularity in the domestic market is interpreted as reflecting consumers' preference for not only space utilization but also ride comfort. The 6th generation Grandeur (IG) facelift model, released at the end of last year, continues to enjoy steady popularity despite the SUV-dominated market situation. Until early this year, the waiting period for hybrid vehicle delivery ranged from a minimum of 4 months to over 6 months due to high demand, but recently, supply conditions have improved, reducing the wait to around one month.

In particular, the 6th generation Grandeur facelift model is gaining attention among young consumers in their 30s and 40s due to its revolutionary design and advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) at autonomous driving level 2. The bold design changes have shed the old-fashioned image previously known as a 'executive car' or 'boss's car,' capturing the hearts of the millennial generation.

Additionally, the mid-size sedan Sonata, one class below, declared that it would not release a new taxi model, which significantly influenced taxi demand prioritizing ride comfort to shift toward the Grandeur. Among the Grandeur units sold by October this year, LPG vehicles accounted for 13%.

Meanwhile, while the SUV proportion is overwhelmingly high in the export market, sedans still dominate more than half of the domestic market and remain strong. Among the 1.1 million units sold domestically by five domestic automakers (Hyundai, Kia, GM Korea, SsangYong, Renault Samsung) by October this year, sedans accounted for 552,600 units, more than half (50%). In contrast, during the same period, sedans accounted for only 27% of exports (1.06 million units), with SUVs making up more than twice that at 73%.

Hyundai Motor 6th Generation Facelift Grandeur

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