Domestic Car Sales Top at 5,500 Units... Domestic Market Also Falls Below 100,000 Units

Domestic 5 Companies' January Domestic Sales Reach 93,900 Units
Supply Disruptions Due to Parts Shortage and Production Line Maintenance

Finished vehicles waiting in the storage yard next to the export shipment dock at Hyundai Motor Company's Ulsan plant

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The domestic sales volume of five Korean automakers fell below 100,000 units last month. This is the first time in four months since September last year. Although demand remains strong, with customers waiting several months to buy new cars, sales performance was poor due to production constraints caused by difficulties in securing parts such as vehicle semiconductors.

According to the domestic sales performance of five Korean automakers including Hyundai Motor Company on the 5th, the best-selling car was Genesis's mid-to-large sedan G80, with 5,501 units sold. This is the first time since September last year (Avante, 5,217 units) that the top-selling car failed to reach 6,000 units. Traditionally, popular models like the Grandeur or Porter usually sell around 7,000 to 9,000 units.

The second best-selling model was Hyundai's 1-ton truck Porter, with 5,443 units sold. The company's compact sedan Avante ranked third with 5,437 units. Fourth and fifth places were Kia's sport utility vehicle (SUV) Sorento (5,066 units) and 1-ton truck Bongo III (4,520 units). All top four models saw a decline in sales compared to both last month and January of last year.

Genesis G80 Electrified Model / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Following these were Kia's SUV Sportage (4,455 units), Hyundai's large SUV Palisade (4,302 units), Kia's multipurpose vehicle Carnival (4,114 units), and Hyundai's SUVs Casper (3,948 units) and Tucson (3,619 units). Sedans and small trucks accounted for two units each, while recreational vehicles (RVs) made up six units.

Over the past month, these five automakers sold a total of 93,900 vehicles domestically, a decrease of about 19% compared to the same period last year. The last time sales fell below 100,000 units was in September last year during the Chuseok holiday, when these five companies sold 91,791 units. Following year-end promotions, sales exceeded 100,000 units from October to December, but have now dropped below 100,000 units again after four months.

Demand for popular models remains strong, with customers sometimes waiting up to a year after signing contracts. However, the semiconductor parts shortage has delayed production, causing a backlog of waiting demand to persist. Additionally, Hyundai Motor's Asan plant and Korea GM's Bupyeong and Changwon plants have been adjusting their production lines for electric vehicles and new models. The Hyundai Asan plant produces the Grandeur, one of the popular models.

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