SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Yonhap) — Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. reported Wednesday that their vehicle sales in Europe had climbed 5.2 percent compared to the same month the previous year, thanks to strong demand for their SUVs and electric models.
The two South Korean carmakers sold a total of 96,672 vehicles in Europe during July, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA). This put them in third place in the European passenger vehicle market, with a 9.5 percent share, behind Volkswagen Group (27.4 percent) and Stellantis (15.7 percent). However, their market share was down from 10.5 percent in July 2020.
Their top-selling models included Kia’s Sportage SUV, Hyundai’s Tucson SUV, the Kia Niro EV and EV6 SUV, and Hyundai’s all-electric IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6. In July, new registrations of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in the European Union increased 61 percent year-on-year to 115,971 units, with a 13.6 percent share of the market.
Hyundai and Kia’s BEV sales were up 33 percent year-on-year at 13,131 units. From January to July, the two carmakers sold 672,015 autos in Europe, a 3.6 percent increase from the same period in 2020, though their share of the market had dropped to 8.8 percent from 10 percent.
This file photo provided by Hyundai Motor Group shows Hyundai Motor and Kia's headquarters in Yangjae, southern Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr
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