Hyundai Sonata sees steady sales gain in China

South Korea's leading automaker Hyundai Motor Co. said Wednesday sales of its Sonata sedan are growing steadily in China, boosted by rising demand for mid-size cars in the world's No. 2 economy. Hyundai Motor said a total of 10,015 units of the flagship automobile model were sold in China last month, topping the 10,000-mark within five months of its China release. It was comparable to 7,005 in August and 6,002 in April, the month when the latest Sonata was launched in South Korea. According to Hyundai officials, the Sonata is competing closely with other popular mid-sized cars, such as Toyota Corp.'s Camry, Honda Corp.'s Accord and Volkswagen Corp.'s Passat. Kia Motors Corp., Hyundai Motor's smaller affiliate, also saw the sales of its K2 small-sized car surpass 10,000 vehicles. In September, 10,478 K2s were sold in China, up from 7,556 units in August and from 4,050 units in July. Hyundai sold 700,000 cars in China in 2010. The automaker also said Hyundai Motor Group, which includes Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp., sold a combined 1.1 million vehicles in China for a 9 percent market share last year. Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors reported record sales in the Chinese market in September thanks to their attractively designed cars with superior performance, the carmakers said earlier. The two companies, which together compose Hyundai Motor Group, said their combined sales reached 116,763 units in September. The total surpasses the previous monthly record of 111,177 cars reached in January.